By Scott Mitchell Johnson
Staff Writer
Two Aroostook County legislators filed the necessary paperwork Monday to run for Congress in Maine’s 2nd Congressional District. Sen. Troy Jackson (D-Allagash) and Rep. Alex Willette (R-Mapleton) are both eyeing the position currently held by Rep. Mike Michaud (D-Maine) who is considering a run for governor.
Jackson, the Senate assistant majority leader, said he hopes to be a voice for Mainers in Washington.
Sen. Troy Jackson
“To stand up for Maine’s middle class and working families, to do more for our rural communities and public schools, to help small businesses that need fast access to sufficient capital, Maine needs a strong, clear voice in Washington,” he said in a press release. “I believe I can be that voice.
“While serving in the State legislature and in my positions of leadership, I’ve brought people together to do what’s right. I’ve tried to lead by example, to stand up for what’s equitable. Sometimes I’ve come up a vote or two short, but I’ve always come back to try again and to act responsibly and respectfully,” said Jackson, referring to his fight this year to expand Medicaid to 70,000 Maine people currently without health care coverage.
Gov. Paul LePage vetoed legislation that would have provided that federal coverage. Jackson and LePage also took opposite positions on the bipartisan state budget — which the governor vetoed — while Jackson worked to secure enough Democratic and Republican senators to override the veto. The budget passed with the Senate overriding the governor’s veto by a vote of 26-9.
“While the governor has been taking away opportunities for Maine people, withholding expanded Medicaid benefits that other Americans are receiving in other states, holding back bonds that will create jobs and cutting taxes on our richest residents, I’ve looked for other, pragmatic, workable ways to support hard-working Maine people — they need a representative who can make government work for them,” Jackson said. “I will always work to help folks onto a ladder of success and I will never pull it out from under anyone who strives to climb every rung they possibly can.
“Republicans in Congress have been acting just like our governor here in Maine. I want to bring a dose of reality and working experience to Washington,” he said. “When I talk about living wages, job opportunities, education opportunities, and health care coverage, I’m speaking from my own life experience and from the experience of hard-working Mainers across the state.”
Jackson plans to make a formal announcement and to launch his campaign with public events after Labor Day.
Jackson represents Maine’s most northern Senate district — District 35. He grew up and lives in Allagash where he works as a logger. Jackson graduated from Allagash Consolidated School and from the University of Maine at Fort Kent with a business degree. He lives with his partner, Lana Pelletier, and their two children, Chace and Camden.
Willette, House assistant Republican leader, announced his campaign will center upon “Jobs NOW! for Maine” highlighting the need for a renewed focus on economic development and job creation in the state.
Rep. Alex Willette
“For too long politicians in Washington have allowed partisan gridlock to get in the way of delivering real results for struggling Mainers. When I talk to voters around the 2nd District, from lobstermen in Hancock County to potato farmers in Aroostook County and business owners in Androscoggin County, they talk about sending someone to Congress who will focus on creating good paying, sustainable jobs instead of kicking the tough decisions down the road,” Willette said in a press release.
“We need fresh, new leadership in Washington. I represent the generation of Mainers who will be forced to pay off the enormous debts now being created by the reckless politicians in Washington. Instead of increasing the size of government with wasteful spending, we need someone in Congress who will fix our economy by cutting spending and lowering taxes,” he said. “We need someone who will stand up for our way of life by protecting our Second Amendment rights and fighting for Maine seniors. As your Congressman, I will approach every decision by first asking, ‘What is best for Maine?’”
Willette said “Jobs NOW! for Maine” is not just a campaign theme, but rather a campaign promise.
“Together we can work to solve the tough problems that confront our state and bring Maine common sense to Washington,” he said.
Willette, 24, is currently the youngest legislative leader in the country, and is the youngest legislative leader in Maine history. He is a native of Mapleton, and is an associate broker at Big Bear Real Estate. Willette and his wife, Melissa, are part of a large Franco-American family with deep ties to Maine’s 2nd District.
A formal campaign announcement will follow in the months ahead.
