Former state lawmaker Troy Jackson won the Democratic nomination for Maine’s U.S. Senate seat on Saturday, capping nearly three weeks of political drama following the collapse of Graham Platner’s campaign.
Hundreds of Democratic delegates chose Jackson — a logger and former Maine Senate president — to take on Republican Sen. Susan Collins this fall.
Mr. Jackson faced only one opponent, Saundra Pelletier, a biopharmaceutical executive making her first run for office, after all of his better-known rivals withdrew once his supporters dominated the prior weekend’s delegate-selection process.
The fifth-generation logger initially ran as a Republican in 2000, lost, then won as an independent two years later, switching to the Democratic Party in 2004. He eventually became Maine Senate president before leaving the state Legislature in 2024 and coming in third in this year’s Democratic gubernatorial primary while backed by Mr. Platner and Sen. Bernard Sanders, Vermont independent.
Mr. Jackson, 58, represented far northern Maine for 20 years in the Maine House and Senate.
Mr. Platner quit the race two weeks ago after a sexual assault allegation, which he denied but forced his exit anyway. His withdrawal triggered an unusual, compressed replacement process rather than a traditional primary.
Mr. Jackson’s nomination starts a 101-day sprint to Election Day in a nationally watched race.
Democrats have viewed Ms. Collins as uniquely vulnerable since she’s the only Senate Republican up for reelection this cycle in a state that backed former Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign in 2024.
“While Susan Collins rubberstamps Donald Trump’s agenda, Jackson will prioritize making life more affordable and delivering for families across Maine,” Democratic National Committee Chairman Ken Martin said in a statement. “The DNC is ready to help organize and mobilize voters to defeat Collins, take back the Senate, and put working families first.”
In his convention speech, Mr. Jackson accused Ms. Collins of not doing enough to stand up to President Trump on Mainers’ behalf.
“For nearly 30 years, Collins has told Maine that she is concerned,” he said. “Maine does not need another six years of concern. We need someone with courage. We need a fighter who remembers exactly who sent them to Washington, which is you.”
The Republican National Committee accused Democrats of trying to “shove socialism down the throats of Maine voters.”
“Troy Jackson is a Platner apologist, a radical Bernie Bro, and a walking red flag displaying all the warning signs of the early days of the Platner campaign,” RNC spokeswoman Kristen Cianci said in a statement. “Senator Susan Collins is a proven leader with unimpeachable character who will continue to deliver for Mainers when they reelect her this November.”
Recent reports on Mr. Jackson’s temper, workplace conduct and past positions dampened his campaign before it kicked off.
The GOP super PAC Senate Leadership Fund plans to spend more than $42 million on the race overall, hitting his temper and legislative clashes, in an effort to ensure “dangerous candidates like Graham Platner and Troy Jackson are never elected.”
“Chuck Schumer forcefully removed Graham Platner from the ballot against the will of Maine voters, only to replace him with a deranged and scandal-plagued political insider,” the super PAC’s communications director, Chris Gustafson, said in a statement to The Washington Times. “Mainers value steady leadership that yields real results for the Pine Tree State, making Susan Collins the clear choice once again this November.”
