Ex-Obama Aides Urge Divided Maine Democrats to Unite Behind Troy Jackson
Former Obama strategists Dan Pfeiffer and Jon Favreau warned that Democratic divisions in Maine's Senate race could hand Sen. Susan Collins another term, urging the party to rally behind Troy Jackson after Graham Platner's exit over sexual assault allegations.
Former advisers to President Barack Obama are warning that Democratic infighting in Maine's U.S. Senate race could cost the party its best chance to unseat Republican Sen. Susan Collins, urging divided activists to set aside their grievances and unite behind the party's new nominee.
Speaking on their popular political podcast, former Obama strategist Dan Pfeiffer and former Obama speechwriter Jon Favreau said a significant number of Maine Democrats appear reluctant to support Troy Jackson, the state legislator who replaced Graham Platner as the party's Senate candidate after Platner withdrew amid sexual assault allegations.
Pfeiffer described a party still fractured by the abrupt candidate swap, with supporters of Platner upset over how the process unfolded and backers of another prominent Maine Democrat, Janet Mills, unenthusiastic about the new ticket. He noted that as recently as two weeks earlier, Mills had not endorsed Jackson and Jackson had not sought her endorsement.
«Everyone get over your s---, and let's try to win this race,» Pfeiffer said, summarizing what he believed was the message behind a recent endorsement video from Obama urging Maine voters not to sit out the election. Pfeiffer said the video appeared aimed at Democrats who might stay home because they are unhappy with how Jackson became the nominee.
Favreau called the reluctance among some Maine Democrats his «biggest worry» and pointed to Michigan as a model for reconciliation. He noted that Michigan Democrats recently appeared together on the campaign trail after an extremely divisive primary, with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer campaigning alongside Abdul El-Sayed and Haley Stevens saying positive things about the party's direction.
Favreau argued that Jackson would benefit from more support from Maine Democrats and national Democrats, describing Maine as a state that leans toward sending Democrats to the Senate. He cited polling, including a New York Times survey that showed Collins ahead, indicating that most voters still want a Democratic-controlled Senate.
«I feel like the Democrats there just have to be reminded that, like, this is our guy, and this is our ticket to a Democratic Senate and not a Republican Senate,» Favreau said.
The race has drawn national attention since Platner's departure upended the Democratic field. Jackson, his replacement, has faced controversies of his own, adding to concerns among strategists about the party's ability to consolidate support before Election Day.
Not everyone is sympathetic to the party's predicament. Democratic strategist Julian Epstein told Fox News Digital that the situation reflects broader problems within the party, criticizing candidates he described as «socialist revolutionaries» and arguing that the political class prioritizes power over principle.
Jesse Arm, vice president of external affairs at the Manhattan Institute, said the former Obama aides were struggling to cope with Collins' strength. «Susan Collins is overperforming because Maine voters know she's a sensible moderate who calls balls and strikes,» Arm said, adding that Collins has been an independent maverick throughout her career and that Maine voters appreciate that quality.
Collins, who has held the Senate seat since 1997, remains one of the few Republicans representing a state that Democrats routinely target in national elections. Her durability has long frustrated Democratic hopes of flipping the seat, and the current turmoil within the party's candidate ranks has given her campaign an opening to portray itself as the stable choice.
Obama's endorsement video marked a notable intervention in the race, signaling that national Democratic figures view Maine as a priority even as local activists remain divided. The former president's message focused on the stakes of the election rather than on any individual candidate, a framing that Pfeiffer said was designed to pull disaffected Democrats back into the fold.
Whether that appeal succeeds could determine not only the outcome in Maine but also the broader battle for control of the Senate, where every seat matters. For now, the party's most prominent messengers are delivering a blunt message: internal disputes must take a back seat to the goal of defeating Collins in November.
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