Jackson is the Maine Senate President and finished third in the June Democratic Gubernatorial primary. Last month, he emerged victorious in the party’s nominating convention to replace Graham Platner, who dropped out of the race after winning the June primary with 72% of the vote.

The lobster bake drew close to 300 Democrats who wanted to support the party’s candidates and especially Jackson, who is challenging Republican Susan Collins, a five-term incumbent. Both Collins and Jackson hail from Aroostook County, but Jackson told the audience that’s all the two have in common.

Jackson, a native of Allahash, which is 84 miles by car to Presque Isle, is a fifth-generation logger. He was elected in 2020 to the Maine House of Representatives as an “unenrolled candidate.” He has since won numerous elections to the state legislature as a Democrat.

He recalled the events of 1998 when he joined other northern Maine loggers in blockading the Canadian/U.S. border protesting the hiring of temporary Canadian workers. “Susan Collins was the first one we talked to when we blocked the border. She had no interest in that, and honestly, ever since then she has forgotten more and more who elected her. That is the worst thing you can do is forget those people depending upon you to fight for them,” he said.

The lobster bake had a large contingent of Boothbay peninsula residents. Lucian Laurie Jr. of Boothbay volunteered serving oysters. He chairs the Boothbay Region Democratic Committee, which includes Boothbay, Boothbay Harbor, Edgecomb and Southport.

Laurie retired five years ago from the U.S. Navy. He's been active in politics ever since “George Bush sent him to Iraq." He remembers learning at a young age that politics has its consequences. “I felt like I needed to do something, and that's why I got involved,” he said. Laurie has been active in politics ever since.

He believes Jackson can build on the momentum created by Graham Platner toward winning the U.S. Senate race. “Graham Platner, for all his faults, built up a lot of momentum, and I’m hoping Troy will continue that, and pass it along to other candidates.”

Sally Bullard is a former East Boothbay resident who now lives in Farmingdale. She is an unenrolled voter who describes herself as a “raging independent.” Bullard attended the lobster bake at the invitation of Lincoln County Democratic Committee Vice-Chairman Byron Cortez and his husband Elliot Schwartz.

She is especially excited at the prospect of seeing Susan Collins lose. “Bret Kavanaugh was it for me. Susan Collins and her choices are not good for Maine,” she said.

Hannah Pingree is a former Speaker of the Maine House of Representaives. She has spent the past seven years working in Gov. Janet Mills' administration and won the June Gubernatorial Democratic primary. Pingree won her primary due to ranked choice voting. She warned Democrats, in the fall there would be no ranked choice voting.

“I’m running against two Republicans. Bobby Charles (Republican nominee) and Rick Bennett (unenrolled candidate). This is a must-win election. Bobby Charles is the most MAGA-Republican candidate who could have won the primary. That is good news. The bad news is he would be worse than Paul LePage,” she said. “Rick Bennett is a longtime Republican who was the chairman of the Maine GOP when LePage was governor. He cast Maine’s electoral vote for Trump in 2016.”

Keith Mestrich of Bristol is the Lincoln County Democratic Party chairman. He reported registered tickets sales totaled over 250 and walk-up sales pushed the attendance over 300. “This is likely a record crowd,” he said.

The event was held at Cider Hill Farms in Waldoboro.