Troy Jackson, the Democrats' expected nominee for U.S. Senate in Maine, said he will not support Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., to be his party's head if elected.

"The Democratic Party needs to have a different approach — getting people back in the party, getting working-class, everyday people back in the party — and I don't believe it's going to happen with Senator Schumer," Jackson told The New York Times.

Jackson said he wasn't sure he wanted support from Schumer and national Democrats, despite raising millions of dollars less than Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine.

"I'd have to find out what that entailed," Jackson told the Times. "I mean, if his help comes, absolutely no strings, I would say, you know, possibly. There'd have to be no strings."

Having consolidated support after several candidates, Jackson, who unsuccessfully ran for governor this year, knows he will need to raise substantially more money to compete with Collins.

Jackson raised $1.2 million in his failed gubernatorial run.

"You know, Susan's got $12 million. I got $12," Jackson said. "I'm hopeful that, you know, we're going to tell the story about what we want, what we're going to be fighting for, and people are going to come on board."

Schumer recruited Maine Gov. Janet Mills to run for Senate, but she declined after polls showed her trailing Graham Platner. Platner later won the Democratic primary but dropped out of the race amid allegations of sexual assault.

A spokesperson for Schumer said he is focused on winning Maine.

"Leader Schumer has one message for every Democratic Senate candidate: Just win," Allison Biassotti said in a statement. "He'll do everything in his power to help them do exactly that."

Jackson told the Times he would like to see Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., lead the Democratic caucus, though he acknowledged that was unlikely.

"If I am lucky enough, I guess I'll have to survey the field. But one thing I've been pretty good at is judging people's character," Jackson said.

Jackson had been an enthusiastic backer of Platner before the sexual assault allegations came to light. He rescinded his endorsement and deleted posts praising Platner on social media. He said he would not want Platner's endorsement.

"It's not about Graham; it's not about me," Jackson said. "It is about people having a government that is for them, and I don't see his endorsement as being helpful at all."