{"id":2635850,"date":"2026-07-27T07:53:02","date_gmt":"2026-07-27T11:53:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/utm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaigndont-let-graham-platners-replacement-fool-you-hes-still-a-crazy-leftist\/"},"modified":"2026-07-27T07:56:31","modified_gmt":"2026-07-27T11:56:31","slug":"utm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaigndont-let-graham-platners-replacement-fool-you-hes-still-a-crazy-leftist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/utm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaigndont-let-graham-platners-replacement-fool-you-hes-still-a-crazy-leftist\/","title":{"rendered":"Don&#8217;t Let Graham Platner&#8217;s Replacement Fool You"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">14<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Futm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaigndont-let-graham-platners-replacement-fool-you-hes-still-a-crazy-leftist%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2635850&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/new-york-times-issues-multiple-corrections-for-article-falsely-claiming-900000-u-s-children-have-been-hospitalized-for-covid-19-during-pandemic\/\" title=\"New York ...s Issues Multiple Corrections For Article Falsely Claiming 900,000 U.S. Children Have Been Hospitalized For COVID-19 During Pandemic\">article discusses<\/a> the political landscape in Maine, highlighting how Democrats replaced a controversial Senate candidate with Troy Jackson, a seasoned legislator with a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democrats-arent-sure-if-trumps-absence-will-hurt-or-help-them\/\" title=\"... Aren...t Sure If Trump...s Absence Will Hurt Or Help Them\">working-class background<\/a> and a history of electoral success. Jackson, a logger and union leader experienced in passing practical legislation, presents a more moderate and relatable candidate compared to his predecessor. Despite his pragmatic political record, he is openly a leftist and aligns with progressive views, endorsing policies such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/dead-on-arrival-republicans-slam-biden-budgets-higher-taxes-and-spending\/\" title=\"\u2018Dead On Arrival...: ...s Slam Biden Budget...s Higher Taxes And Spending\">expanded social programs<\/a>, reproductive rights, and gun control. Jackson&#8217;s background includes a shift from centrist positions to more progressive stances over time. Notably, he had a reputation for a fiery temper, which has been publicly noted.Jackson offers a solid, working-class candidate with established political roots, positioning him as a credible opponent in the upcoming Senate race against Susan Collins.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"article-body body-md bdr-top-black pt-30\">\n<div class=\"row justify-content-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12\">\n<figure class=\"article-thumbnail mb-30 mb-sm-60\">\n<div class=\"article-thumbnail-caption d-flex align-items-center justify-content-md-end label-xs mt-15\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-camera me-10\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Image Credit<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=2UrifzsKVeQ\">Troy Jackson for Maine\/YouTube<\/a>       <\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-share text-center article-share-simple\">\n<h5 class=\"label-sm mb-10\">Share<\/h5>\n<ul class=\"article-share-list list-unstyled m-0 p-0\">\n<li class=\"article-share-facebook m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/07\/27\/dont-let-graham-platners-replacement-fool-you-hes-still-a-crazy-leftist\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-facebook\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Facebook<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-twitter m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=Don\u2019t Let Graham Platner\u2019s Replacement Fool You. He\u2019s Still A Crazy Leftist&#038;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/07\/27\/dont-let-graham-platners-replacement-fool-you-hes-still-a-crazy-leftist\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Twitter<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-truth-social m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/share?title=Don\u2019t Let Graham Platner\u2019s Replacement Fool You. He\u2019s Still A Crazy Leftist&#038;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/07\/27\/dont-let-graham-platners-replacement-fool-you-hes-still-a-crazy-leftist\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" fill=\"currentColor\" style=\"width:36px;height:auto;\" viewbox=\"0 0 92 93\"><path d=\"M69.444 55.716H56.772v10.37h12.672zM64.487 37.795V27.32H38.666v38.664h13.18v-28.19zM21.05 27.321h12.653v10.471H21.051z\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/><\/svg>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Truth Social<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-link m-0\">       <button data-clipboard-text=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/07\/27\/dont-let-graham-platners-replacement-fool-you-hes-still-a-crazy-leftist\/\" data-tooltip-content=\"Copied!\" class=\"clip tooltip\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-link-variant\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Copy Article Link<\/span>       <\/button>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\">       <a href=\"mailto:?subject=Don\u2019t Let Graham Platner\u2019s Replacement Fool You. He\u2019s Still A Crazy Leftist&#038;body=Watching Troy Jackson handle a chainsaw in a campaign ad isn&#039;t like watching Tim Walz touch a shotgun. %20https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/07\/27\/dont-let-graham-platners-replacement-fool-you-hes-still-a-crazy-leftist\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-email\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article via Email<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\"><span class=\"printfriendly pf-button  pf-alignleft\">                     <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/#\" rel=\"nofollow\" onclick=\"window.print(); pfTrackEvent(&#039;Don\u2019t Let Graham Platner\u2019s Replacement Fool You. He\u2019s Still A Crazy Leftist&#039;); return false;\" title=\"Printer Friendly, PDF &#038; Email\">                     <span id=\"printfriendly-text2\" class=\"pf-button-text\"><i class=\"mdi mdi-printer\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/span>                     <\/a>                 <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<div class=\"pf-content\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Democrats have undemocratically <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/maine-senate-susan-collins-platner-troy-jackson-a5f89f03b6a9aace01f4e829befb7809\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">replaced<\/a> an <em>awful<\/em> Senate candidate in Maine with someone who seems to be an okay candidate, possibly giving them a better chance of picking up a seat in November. Troy Jackson has won a bunch of elections, serving multiple terms in both houses of the state legislature, though he\u2019s also <a href=\"https:\/\/mainemorningstar.com\/2026\/06\/19\/pingree-clinches-democratic-nomination-for-governor-after-lengthy-ranked-choice-tally\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">lost quite a few<\/a>. He\u2019s been pretty good at the practical work of getting bills passed.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Most significantly, Jackson really is the things that Graham Platner was cosplaying: He\u2019s a logger and union guy who became a public figure as a leader in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bangordailynews.com\/2019\/10\/25\/opinion\/heres-why-the-1998-logging-blockade-still-matters-now\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">1998 blockade<\/a> to keep Canadian labor out of Maine\u2019s lumber industry, on the premise that foreign labor competition drives down American wages. Build the wall, eh?<\/p>\n<div id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-2197678442\" class=\"d-flex justify-content-center fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2 fdrlst__b89e9-entity-placement\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1463670073398-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Representing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pressherald.com\/2026\/04\/30\/a-maine-progressive-in-trump-country-troy-jackson-seeks-the-blaine-house\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">majority-Republican<\/a> legislative districts as an independent, and then as a Democrat, Jackson has a long track record of at least some not-entirely-insane legislation. He\u2019s a rural Democrat of the pre-trans era, authoring <a href=\"https:\/\/www.legislature.maine.gov\/legis\/bills\/bills_122nd\/fiscalnotes\/FN006401.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">bills like<\/a> \u201cAn Act To Ensure the Maintenance of Veterans\u2019 Cemeteries\u201d and a <a href=\"https:\/\/lldc.mainelegislature.org\/Open\/LDs\/122\/122-LD-0759.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">bill<\/a> to expand access to hunting licenses for disabled hunters. That flannel-shirt-and-tattoos thing that Platner played at is what Jackson has actually been.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With that said, Jackson is unambiguously a leftist, and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/TroyJacksonmaine\/videos\/first-tv-ad-my-name-is-troy-jackson-im-a-logger-from-allagash-and-im-the-only-de\/1694966305017174\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">first ad<\/a> in his failed campaign for governor proudly declared that he was \u201cthe only Democrat for Governor endorsed by Bernie Sanders.\u201d <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Portland Press-Herald offers a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pressherald.com\/2026\/07\/25\/7-telling-moments-from-troy-jacksons-time-as-maine-senate-president\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">decent list<\/a> of his top legislative priorities, and it\u2019s all the usual: more free stuff from the government, more abortions, guns are bad. Jackson first ran for office (a <em>long<\/em> time ago) as a Republican, and postured as a centrist on social issues for years. As the Portland newspaper notes, his anti-gun votes in the Maine Senate represented \u201canother leftward shift in his political evolution.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Evaluating Jackson\u2019s character in <em>interesting<\/em> language, the former Maine Gov. Paul LePage once <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bangordailynews.com\/2013\/06\/20\/news\/report-lepage-slips-vaseline-jab-toward-democratic-senator\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">called him<\/a> a series of names we won\u2019t repeat, describing Jackson as a black-hearted socialist, but his comments also included a reference to Vaseline. Use your imagination.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Jackson has twenty years of success in Maine elections, and he actually has a real version of the \u201cworking class\u201d background that Democrats have been trying to cast like they\u2019re choosing actors for the school play. Watching him handle a chainsaw in a campaign ad isn\u2019t like watching Tim Walz <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Ohk6onBE6XA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">touch a shotgun<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Reports that Jackson has a \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/homenews\/campaign\/5981393-senate-nominee-troy-jackson-temper\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">fiery temper<\/a>\u201d offer details like this: \u201cJackson was also involved in an intense discussion with former state Sen. Heather Sanborn (D) over legislation geared towards <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/sen-kyrsten-sinema-gets-on-board-for-democratic-spending-bill\/\" title=\"Sen. Kyrsten Sinema Gets On Board For Democratic Spending Bill\">reducing prescription drug costs<\/a>. He apparently threw a water bottle at one point in the argument.\u201d But he\u2019s probably not the first elected official who\u2019s ever yelled at someone.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With the sexual assault allegations and totenkopf tattoo off the table, Susan Collins has at least a slightly harder task ahead of her. Troy Jackson should be solidly adequate as an opponent. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">\n<div class=\"article-author-description fst-italic\">      Chris Bray is a senior correspondent at The Federalist and a former infantry sergeant in the U.S. Army. He has a history PhD from the University of California Los Angeles, not that it did him any good. He also posts on Substack, at &#8220;Tell Me How This Ends,&#8221; <a href=\"https:\/\/chrisbray.substack.com\/\">here<\/a>.<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-30 bdr-top-bold-black\">\n<div class=\"row g-0 align-items-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6\">\n<div class=\"article-author-profile d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center justify-content-md-start\">\n<div class=\"article-author-details\">\n<div class=\"label-md\">Chris Bray<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6 d-flex justify-content-center justify-content-md-end mt-15 mt-md-0\">        <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/author\/chrisbray\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">More Articles<\/a>     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-tags no-print bdr-top-black mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-15 pt-md-45\">\n<ul class=\"list-unstyled d-flex flex-wrap align-items-center mb-0 mx-n10 p-0\">\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/bernie-sanders\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Bernie Sanders<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/democrats\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Democrats<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/free-stuff\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">free stuff<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/graham-platner\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Graham Platner<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/heather-sanborn\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Heather Sanborn<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/maine\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Maine<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/maine-legislature\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Maine legislature<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/senate-elections\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Senate elections<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/susan-collins\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Susan Collins<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/totenkopf\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Totenkopf<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/troy-jackson\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Troy Jackson<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Democrats replace poor Maine Senate candidate with a better one<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2086,"featured_media":2635852,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Screenshot-224.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[27516,15304,83249,10793,3730],"class_list":["post-2635850","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-guitar","tag-musician","tag-musicindustry","tag-replacement","tag-rock"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Screenshot-224.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2635850","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2086"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2635850"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2635850\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2635854,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2635850\/revisions\/2635854"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2635852"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2635850"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2635850"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2635850"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}