Maine Nurses Association Backs Jackson and Platner for Key Positions

Endorsement Announcement for Key Political Figures by Maine Nurses

The Maine State Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee (MSNA/NNOC), affiliated with National Nurses United (NNU), has formally endorsed Troy Jackson for the position of Maine Governor and Graham Platner for the U.S. Senate. This endorsement comes amid ongoing concerns about the impact of the Trump administration on the healthcare system in the United States. Maine's nurses are confident that both Jackson and Platner will advocate for workers, patients, and the broader community.

"Troy Jackson has stood with nurses in every fight and on every picket line," stated 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."

Expressing gratitude for the endorsement, Troy Jackson, the Maine gubernatorial candidate, remarked, "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. 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."

Additionally, the endorsement of Graham Platner for the U.S. Senate is seen as critical by Maine nurses in the face of what they describe as damaging policies from the Trump administration. Juliana Hansen, a nurse at Maine Medical Center, stated, "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."

Sarah English, another nurse at Maine Medical Center, expressed concern over the administration's healthcare policies, saying, "There has never been a time in my career when my patients were more in danger. 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."

In response to his endorsement, Graham Platner, U.S. Senate candidate, expressed, "It is an absolute honor to receive the endorsement of the Maine State Nurses Association and National Nurses United. 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 focus on supporting candidates aligned with their core values of transformative social change, including safe patient staffing ratios, workers' rights to organize, and guaranteed healthcare for all. They look forward to collaborating with Jackson and Platner on these crucial issues impacting registered nurses, their patients, and their communities.

The Maine State Nurses Association, as part of the National Nurses Organizing Committee, represents 4,000 nurses and other caregivers from Portland to Fort Kent. The NNOC is affiliated with National Nurses United, the largest and fastest-growing labor union for registered nurses in the United States, boasting over 225,000 members nationwide.

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