U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders has endorsed Troy Jackson’s bid to become Maine’s next governor.

The logger from Allagash announced his bid for the Democratic Party nomination Monday morning. He’s been among the high-profile Democrats expected to run to succeed Gov. Janet Mills, who is barred from running for reelection in 2026 under Maine’s term limits law.

On Wednesday morning, Sanders said that working-class families need elected officials who will stand with them “unequivocally.”

“Fighting for the working class of Maine is not something new for Troy. That’s what he has done for his entire life as a logger and as a member of the Maine state legislature. Troy knows what’s going on with the working class of Maine because he’s part of that working class,” Sanders said in a statement, pointing to Jackson’s support for health care as a human right and a living wage.

“I strongly support Troy for Maine Governor because Troy knows what it’s like to feel powerless and left behind – and how to turn that into action,” the Vermont independent said.

Jackson first ran for the Maine House of Representatives in 2000 as a Republican but didn’t win. He finally won a seat in the Legislature in 2002 as an independent. Jackson joined the Democratic Party in 2004.

From 2018 to 2024, he served as Senate president for majority Democrats. Jackson was term-limited from the Senate last year.

Before rising to political office, Jackson garnered attention for his role in a 1998 logging blockade protesting the use of Canadian labor in Maine.

“Too many Democrats have lost touch with working people or shown they’re not up to the fight. All while Mainers struggle as prices rise, wages stagnate, and greedy corporations rake in record profits to buy off politicians,” Jackson said in a statement announcing his campaign.