On Wednesday’s broadcast of MS NOW’s “The Briefing,” Democratic U.S. Senate nominee Troy Jackson said that attacks on his support of allowing biological men in women’s prisons are a distraction from economic issues like “reproductive rights.” But “I’m not going to demonize my neighbors in Maine. I’m not going to do that. And so, yeah, however I voted or whatever, but this is not something that I’m going to be willing to use as a distraction.”
Host Jen Psaki asked, “A super PAC backing Collins launched a different attack on you this week, pouring over $1 million into an ad campaign attacking you for supporting state legislation that allows transgender women to be housed in women’s prisons. They’re putting over $1 million into this ad campaign, which I think probably buys a fair amount of ad time in Maine. First of all, this is obviously an attack on you, but what’s your position on this issue? And what do you make of the fact that this is the issue that they are pouring so much money into, from the super PAC, one that clearly is supporting her?”
Jackson answered, “Well, we’ve seen this line for a while now. They’ve tried to do referendums here in Maine, and it’s failed and things like that. But, again, it comes back to what is actually affecting everyday Mainers, things like healthcare, which we are losing in the state, prescription drugs, childcare, eldercare, in-home and nursing homes, housing, property tax reform, and reproductive rights. These are all economic issues. And there’s more too, but they don’t want to talk about those issues because they know that they suck on them, and just as clear as can be. And the only thing they actually care about is trying to divide Mainers so that we don’t actually pay attention to what’s actually going on. They’re giving income tax cuts to the wealthiest people in this country, and it’s on our backs. And, in this case, here, I’m not going to demonize my neighbors in Maine. I’m not going to do that. And so, yeah, however I voted or whatever, but this is not something that I’m going to be willing to use as a distraction. Again, I understand what it’s like for government to leave you behind, especially when Susan Collins is in control of it. And I don’t want other people to feel like that, understanding that your elected officials don’t want to stand up for you. I think that’s the job of government, fighting for everyone, and that’s something that Collins has never done.”
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