Communist Party Writer Co-Hosts Campaign Event For Democrat Senate Hopeful

Maine Democratic Senate nominee Troy Jackson held a campaign event co-hosted by an activist who has written extensively for the Communist Party USA, adding another unusual chapter to a Democratic Senate campaign already marked by a series of controversies.

Lorri Nandrea of Canton was listed as one of four hosts of a June 5 campaign brunch for Jackson at the Local 14 Solidarity Center in Jay, Maine, according to an invitation reviewed by the Maine Wire. At the time, Jackson was running for governor. He is now the Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate and will face Republican Sen. Susan Collins in November in a race that will help determine control of the Senate.

The invitation described the event as a “Brunch with Troy Jackson” and said the four hosts — Nandrea, Linda Deane, Cynthia Phinney, and Jimmy McHugh — had known Jackson for years and “worked with him on important legislation that we believe makes Maine a better place to live.”

The Communist Party USA’s website maintains an author page for Nandrea listing four articles she has written for the organization: “Waking class consciousness today,” “Why fixing capitalism is not enough,” “Killer capitalism vs. green socialism,” and “Unions are more popular: How does this translate into action?” Communist Party USA has also referenced Nandrea as recently as 2025. 

It’s unclear if Nandrea was a member of Communist Party USA when she co-hosted Jackson’s event.

Jackson became the Democratic nominee on July 25 after Maine Democrats selected him to replace Graham Platner, who withdrew from the race following an allegation of sexual assault that he has denied. Jackson, a former Maine Senate president from northern Maine, will now take on Collins in one of the Democrats’ most closely watched Senate challenges.

For Democrats, the episode may feel like déjà vu. Among Platner’s earliest controversies was his past identification with communism and the resurfacing of his involvement with the Socialist Rifle Association. Platner then faced scrutiny over a Nazi tattoo along with other profane past statements.

Jackson had campaigned alongside Platner during the earlier campaign and emerged as the replacement nominee after Platner’s withdrawal. Jackson has now sought to present himself as a working-class alternative to Collins, emphasizing his background as a logger from rural Aroostook County and his decades in Maine Democratic politics.

But as Jackson asks Maine voters to send him to the U.S. Senate, the political network behind his candidacy will inevitably come under greater scrutiny. That leaves Jackson with a straightforward question to answer: What did he know about Nandrea’s political background, and what role, if any, has she played in his campaign beyond the June event?