On Morning Joe, Mika Brzezinski welcomed Maine’s new Democratic Senator-elect Troy Jackson with the kind of enthusiasm usually reserved for family. He finally ended the career of Sen. Susan Collins, oh joy!
She teased his appearance by telling viewers that she was "excited about this. I really like Troy. I can't wait to meet him."
She told Jackson:
"You know, I've had the honor of seeing the beauty of the great state of Maine and the people of Maine for 59 years, visiting every year, and I lo- [love], I wish that could be home, consider it home."
Q. Given that Mika loves Maine so much, why isn’t Maine home?
A. She and husband Joe Scarborough have $1.4 million reasons.
Love is great—but first she looks at the purse? Mika and Joe are Florida residents, where there's no state income tax. If they were Maine residents, they'd pay an estimated $1.4 million annually in state income taxes on their combined MS NOW salaries, reported to be about $16 million.
So Mika loves Maine. She just chooses to love it from a zero-income-tax, Republican-dominated state.
Mika Would Love to be a Maine Resident, Ex$ept . . . pic.twitter.com/cgvCW1xW2N
— Mark Finkelstein (@markfinkelstein) November 10, 2026
And check out Mika's googly eyes at Jackson. Joe better keep watch. But seriously, can't remember ever seeing her so excited. When she mentioned "Maine," she repeatedly put special emphasis on it. Her heart is definitely there—just not $1.4 million a year's worth.
Here's the math on Maine taxes: for married Maine residents filing jointly, the state income tax rates run 5.8%, 6.75%, and 7.15%, plus a 2% surcharge on taxable income above $1.5 million. That results in a 9.15% marginal rate on the top tranche. Given Mika and Joe's combined salaries of around $16 million, as Maine joint residents, they'd owe roughly $1.4 million annually in state income tax.
Here’s the transcript.
MS NOW
Morning Joe
11/10/26
6:19 am ET
MIKA BRZEZINSKI: Plus, Democratic Senator-elect Troy Jackson of Maine will be our guest. I'm a little excited about this. I really like Troy. I can't wait to meet him.. . .
Our next guest brought Republican Senator Susan Collins’ nearly three decade run in Congress to a close, becoming the first Democrat to represent Maine in the Senate since 1995. That's kind of a long time.
. . .Joining us now, Democratic Senator-elect Troy Jackson of Maine. Congratulations.
TROY JACKSON: Well, thank you so much.
MIKA: You did the unthinkable in Maine. I mean, and you only had a short amount of time to make it happen.. . .
You know, I've had the honor of seeing the beauty of the great state of Maine and the people of Maine for fifty-nine years, visiting every year, and I lo- [love], I wish that could be home, consider it home.
