Graham Platner’s replacement in the Maine Senate race suggested the government should be able to take over private property when necessary, appearing to echo socialist New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s housing agenda.Troy Jackson, a Democrat running for the Senate, came under fire for suggesting the government should be able to take over private property when necessary.The comments drew fresh scrutiny to a candidate the Pine Tree State’s GOP chair previously dubbed "Maine’s Mamdani" to Fox News Digital, as debates over government intervention in housing and private ownership gain new attention."It’s a major issue.
The greed that's happening right now in this country that people in mobile home parks are feeling is like something I've never seen," Jackson told a small crowd of residents at Blueberry Ridge Mobile Village, one of several Maine trailer parks where concerns about costs, quality-of-life and ownership arose.MAINE DEMOCRATS CROWN TROY JACKSON AS PLATNER REPLACEMENT AS FRESH SCRUTINY CLOUDS SENATE RESETDemocratic U.S.Senate candidate Graham Platner and gubernatorial candidate Troy Jackson stand together during a "Fighting Oligarchy" tour stop at the Collins Center for the Arts on the University of Maine campus in Orono on May 24, 2026.
(Joe Raedle/Getty Images)"The other thing that I do hear a lot about, too, is how [landlords] won't do anything for services.And that is completely unfair and not right.
And we have to make that change.I feel strongly that if needed, the state should be able to come in [and] take these places over.
Some people will say that that's insane," Jackson told the residents in Wells, the town next to the politically-notable Kennebunkport."But until the people get the chance to start a co-op or whatever, there should be a way to hold these, so that you don't see private-equity coming in and making the killing on these parks."PROPERTY OWNER ADVOCACY GROUPS PUSH BACK ON MAMDANI'S 'RENTAL RIPOFF REPORT,' PUBLIC DATABASE OF...