Maine Democrats have selected progressive former state legislator Troy Jackson to replace Graham Platner as the party’s Senate candidate. The decision was finalized during a convention on Saturday, concluding weeks of internal political tension in a critical battleground state.
Jackson secured a decisive victory with 566 votes to 5 on the first ballot of an emergency state convention. The meeting was convened by the Maine Democratic Party just 17 days after Platner withdrew from the race following allegations of sexual assault, which he has denied.
With Jackson’s selection, the party moves past a turbulent period triggered by Platner’s exit. Jackson, a veteran of Maine politics for twenty-five years, is set to challenge five-term Republican Senator Susan Collins.
“Today we turn the page,” Jackson told delegates in Bangor, Maine. “Today, we begin the work of defeating Susan Collins in November.”
The 58-year-old Jackson represents the progressive movement that previously propelled Platner’s candidacy. A former logger who entered politics in the late 1990s while organizing against low-wage cross-border labor, Jackson now faces the most significant challenge of his political career.
He faces Collins, a moderate Republican seeking a sixth term. The race, a central component in the battle for Senate control, features two seasoned politicians who both originated from the same county in northern Maine.
Since becoming the presumptive nominee, Jackson has worked to link Collins to President Trump, who has consistently lost the state in his three previous campaigns.
In his victory speech on Saturday, Jackson argued that Collins “has served Donald Trump,” criticizing her support for his Supreme Court appointments and immigration enforcement funding.
In response, Collins—who maintains a reputation for moderation and avoids political vitriol—and her Republican allies have attempted to discredit Jackson personally.
Recently, Collins dismissed Jackson as a “Bernie Bro,” while the Maine Republican Party drew comparisons between Jackson and Platner. The Senate Leadership Fund, a major Republican super PAC, released an advertisement attacking Jackson’s temperament, suggesting he was “like Graham Platner, but worse.”
A former president of the Maine State Senate, Jackson was one of several Democrats who entered the condensed race to replace Platner earlier this month. Many of his competitors had also been involved in unsuccessful political campaigns earlier this year.
Following an abbreviated primary process involving a single televised debate and rapid organizational efforts, Jackson’s supporters won county-level delegate elections by overwhelming margins last weekend.
The withdrawal of his primary Democratic rivals converted a potentially contentious convention into a clear mandate for Jackson.
Maine Democrats plan to formally submit his nomination to Secretary of State Shenna Bellows on Monday. Bellows was previously a candidate in the race to replace Platner but ended her bid following Jackson’s strong performance at the county meetings.
A fixture of Maine politics known for his northern Aroostook accent, Jackson is now entering a Senate race that has garnered intense national attention and millions of dollars in funding.
While highly recognized in Augusta and throughout Maine, Jackson has a lower national profile and has not been a prolific fundraiser for national-scale campaigns.
As a progressive economic populist, Jackson campaigns on issues such as “Medicare for All” and against large corporations, though his early political career was characterized by more conservative social stances. In the past, he held opposing views on abortion and same-sex marriage and received high ratings from the NRA.
However, Jackson transitioned to standard progressive positions as he ascended through the state legislature. As State Senate president, he facilitated one of the country’s most permissive abortion laws.
Some former colleagues from his tenure as Senate leader, which lasted from 2018 to 2024, noted that he could occasionally be quick to anger.
Jackson’s left-leaning platform closely mirrors that of Platner, who had energized the party through town hall meetings. The two had campaigned together during Jackson’s gubernatorial run, focusing on progressive goals like the abolition of ICE.
Platner, an oyster farmer and political newcomer, left the race following controversies involving offensive online posts, a controversial tattoo, and allegations concerning his treatment of women.
A veteran politician and long-time supporter of Senator Bernie Sanders, Jackson worked on Sanders’s 2016 presidential campaign and received his endorsement during his recent run for governor. In a recent interview, Jackson suggested that Sanders would be his preferred choice for Senate Democratic leader next year.
During the same interview, Jackson stated he would not support Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer in his current role and expressed reservations about accepting assistance from Schumer’s aligned super PACs.
