Maine nurses announce major endorsements in key 2026 races

They cite the need for safe patient ratios in Maine and a strong voice in Washington

Today, members of the Maine State Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee (MSNA/NNOC), an affiliate of National Nurses United (NNU), announced their endorsement of Troy Jackson for Maine Governor and Graham Platner for U.S. Senate. As the Trump administration continues to decimate the U.S. healthcare system, Maine nurses know that both Jackson and Platner will stand strong in fighting for the state's workers, patients, and communities.

"Troy Jackson has stood with nurses in every fight and on every picket line," said Erin Oberson, a nurse at Eastern Maine Medical Center. "Troy advocated for our nurses when they faced retaliation from their employers over the right to unionize, and with his help last session, we passed our gold-standard legislation through the State Senate to establish minimum registered nurse-to-patient staffing ratios in hospitals across Maine. Troy knows working people deserve better here in Maine."

"I'm honored to have earned the endorsement of my union brothers and sisters with the Maine State Nurses Association. Nurses - who do heroic work every day taking care of Mainers in their most vulnerable moments - know all too well the status quo isn't working. Groceries, healthcare, and housing are getting more expensive for the people who actually work while the wealthy and well-connected are getting richer than ever," said Maine gubernatorial candidate Troy Jackson. "The same people have been sitting around the same table wondering why nothing ever gets better. It's time to put working people in the Blaine House so we can make Maine work for the people who make our state run."

Maine nurses also understand how vital it is to elect Graham Platner to the U.S. Senate to help block the Trump administration's devastating attacks on the country and state's healthcare system.

"Amid the recklessness with which the Trump administration and his Republican-controlled Congress treat everyday working people, Graham Platner heard his calling to stand with nurses, our patients, and our communities to build a better country for all of us," said Juliana Hansen, a nurse at Maine Medical Center.

"There has never been a time in my career when my patients were more in danger," said Sarah English, a nurse at Maine Medical Center. "The Trump cuts to Medicaid, Medicare, and the Veterans Administration mean that millions will soon lose access to the care they need. I'm terrified that even more Mainers in rural areas will lose essential services or even lose their entire hospitals. Graham Platner is the person nurses and patients need in the U.S. Senate during these unprecedented times."

"It is an absolute honor to receive the endorsement of the Maine State Nurses Association and National Nurses United," said Graham Platner, candidate for U.S. Senate. "Nurses across Maine are the backbone of our hospitals and the healthcare system. In the Senate, I will work hand in glove with nurses to ensure that decent healthcare is right, not a privilege, for every single person in Maine."

MSNA/NNOC and NNU support candidates who are committed to nurses' values, including building a broad movement for transformative social change that includes: safe patient staffing in all hospitals across the country, protecting the rights of workers to organize, and guaranteeing health care to everyone. MSNA/NNOC and NNU look forward to helping elect Troy Jackson and Graham Platner and working closely with them on the important issues that affect registered nurses, their patients, and their communities.

Maine State Nurses Association is part of National Nurses Organizing Committee, representing 4,000 nurses and other caregivers from Portland to Fort Kent. NNOC is an affiliate of National Nurses United, the largest and fastest-growing labor union of registered nurses in the United States with more than 225,000 members nationwide.