Jordan Wood is a former Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate and previously served as chief of staff to Rep. Katie Porter of California and as vice president of End Citizens United. He lives in Auburn. 

I became a father 12 days before Donald Trump’s second inauguration. As the closeted son of a Baptist minister, parenting was a blessing I never expected.

My husband Jake and I planned an extended leave from politics, but Trump’s return in January 2025 changed everything. His “Day One” actions, targeting LGBTQ+ Americans, pardoning Jan. 6 insurrectionists and nominating Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services left me angry and ashamed.

As a new gay parent and former congressional chief of staff who was barricaded in our office on Jan. 6, I refused to stand by while Sen. Susan Collins offered only words of concern and alarm. We need courage, not just concern, which is why I launched a longshot campaign against Collins.

It’s also why I proudly support Troy Jackson. 

Running a statewide campaign from Fort Kent to Kittery taught me that everyday hardships, including unaffordable insulin, wealthy investment firms buying up mobile home parks, no affordable childcare and young people leaving Maine, are not accidental problems. They are the product of a corrupt political system that’s rigged for the wealthy, well-connected and corporate elites.

I’ve seen it firsthand working in Congress, and it’s why I helped launch End Citizens United, a group dedicated to getting corporate money out of politics and fighting corruption. Nearly every impossible problem is maintained by someone paying to maintain the status quo. 

This anger at the way things are and a broken party establishment in Washington without the courage to change is what drove so many to turn out in record numbers to vote for Graham Platner in June. The enthusiasm behind his campaign and the movement he inspired is true.

The movement is not what put us in this perilous situation or mistake we must reckon with today. The error we made was trusting the wrong person to represent it. Over 70% of Maine Democrats voted for a fighter to lead this movement, and while that campaign ended, the demand did not, and that’s why Troy Jackson is the right candidate to carry it forward.

Our campaign has always been inspired by the courage of fellow Mainers: neighbors at “Hands Off!” and “No Kings!” protests; Gov. Janet Mills telling Trump at the White House she’d see him in court; Secretary of State Shenna Bellows refusing to put an insurrectionist on the ballot; and former Maine CDC Director Dr. Nirav Shah resisting anti-science COVID and vaccine lies.

I find that same inspiration in my friend, Troy Jackson. Troy has spent his life on the wrong side of powerful interests, which is the right place to be. When Canadian contractors undercut Maine loggers, he spearheaded a weeklong blockade at the northern border. As Senate president, he challenged utilities and drug companies without needing a briefing memo to understand why full-time workers still cannot cover rent, gas or groceries.

In the U.S. Senate, Troy will take on pharmaceutical companies to lower insulin costs, protect the right to organize, advocate for living wages, expand affordable childcare and fight for a fair tax code, all while refusing corporate PAC money or the demands of the wealthy.

Troy’s authentic leadership is also rooted in his humility and political courage to admit when he is wrong. Over 15 years ago, Troy voted against same-sex marriage, later calling his 2009 vote “the worst vote I ever took.” He went on to support the 2012 citizen-led initiative that made Maine the first state to legalize same-sex marriage by popular vote.

He has approached change with similar humility on abortion rights and gun safety. Last November, when the state party and many Democratic politicians stayed silent or opposed Question 2, the red flag law, Troy stood with us to demand community safety and prevent another tragedy like the 2023 Lewiston shooting.

So, Mainers and Democratic delegates: if you care about protecting LGBTQ+ people, guaranteeing abortion rights for every woman, ending gun violence, passing Medicare for All, ensuring workers can afford to live with dignity in Maine and making government answer to us instead of whoever writes the biggest check: vote for Troy Jackson on the first ballot on Saturday.