U.S. Senate Democratic candidate Troy Jackson speaks during a demonstration outside a federal immigration detention center after a man was shot and killed by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in Scarborough, Maine, on July 14, 2026. The victim was identified as João Sebastian Guerrero, a 26-year-old man from Colombia.
Ryan Murphy | Getty Images News | Getty Images
Maine Democrats on Saturday will select a new Senate candidate to take on longtime Republican Susan Collins in the race for control of the Senate after Graham Platner withdrew from the race following sexual assault allegations.
Support is centered around former state Senate President Troy Jackson. Troy Jackson, a fifth-generation logger from rural northern Maine, campaigned with Platner during his unsuccessful gubernatorial bid and was considered a likely candidate among progressives to replace him.
The Maine Democratic Party is scrambling to find a new candidate after Platner, who won the Democratic primary in June, was accused by his ex-girlfriend of sexual assault in 2021. Mr. Plattner has denied the allegations, but withdrew from the race after key supporters asked him to withdraw.
Democrats see Maine as their best chance to flip a Senate seat this year because it is a battleground state that President Donald Trump lost in 2024, but defeating Collins will not be easy. The five-term incumbent has a fundraising advantage, but new candidates have less than four months to sell themselves to voters.
Maine law gives the state party the power to choose a replacement and requires it to nominate a new candidate by Monday, 99 days before the Nov. 3 election.
More than 600 Democratic delegates will gather in Bangor, about 130 miles (209.21 kilometers) north of Portland, in an unprecedented process to vote on a new candidate for the Maine Democratic Party. Delegates were elected at last weekend’s county party meeting. The nomination contest began Saturday morning and was scheduled to conclude by the afternoon.
“We have worked hard to build a fair process that incorporates the diverse perspectives and diverse backgrounds of Democrats across Maine, all united in our ultimate goal of defeating Susan Collins and winning the Senate seat,” the party said in a statement.
Leading candidates withdrew in favor of Jackson.
After Mr. Platner resigned on July 10, former gubernatorial candidates, including Mr. Jackson, scrambled to succeed him. However, by July 19, most companies had given up on bidding, and Jackson had emerged as the clear favorite.
Jackson received early support from progressives who had supported Platner before dropping out. Our Revolution, a political group founded by Sen. Bernie Sanders about 10 years ago, initially supported Mr. Jackson in the governor’s race and Mr. Platner in the Senate race. Once Platner left the race, the group rallied behind Jackson.
Mr. Jackson previously led Mr. Sanders’ 2016 presidential campaign in Maine. This election cycle, Sanders supported Jackson for governor and Platner for Senate, but the Vermont independent senator withdrew his support for Platner after sexual assault allegations. He said he would not weigh in on who among the Democrats would replace Mr. Platner.
Only one other candidate remains in the race for the Senate nomination, Sandra Peltier, the CEO of a women’s health company. She has a long shot at winning against Jackson, who has been a fixture in Maine politics for more than a decade.
According to Jackson’s campaign, more than 480 of the 601 delegates voting at Saturday’s convention have indicated they will support him.
Mr. Jackson has supported progressive positions such as Medicare for All. He also wants to abolish Immigration and Customs Enforcement, whose presence in Maine has been hotly debated since an officer killed a driver in the state earlier this month.
A key part of Democrats’ efforts to win the Senate
Democrats have a narrow path to retaking the Senate in November, and it is highly unlikely that they will be able to do so without winning Maine. Additionally, you’ll need to win competitive races in North Carolina, Alaska, and Ohio to hang on to the seats you already have. This includes open Senate seats in Michigan and Minnesota where Democratic incumbents are retiring.
Maine’s Democratic primary was one of the early races in which progressives faced establishment-backed Democrats. Platner faced several controversies during the campaign, but easily outperformed Gov. Janet Mills, who resigned before the June 9 primary despite the support of Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.
Mr. Platner had the support of Mr. Sanders, as well as Sens. Ruben Gallego of Arizona and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts. That support collapsed after sexual assault allegations earlier this month.
Mr. Collins described Mr. Jackson as “Brother Bernie.”
If Mr. Jackson becomes the nominee, he will need to convince the state’s large independent voting base that the time is right to replace Mr. Collins. Republicans have criticized Mr. Jackson as too extreme for Maine voters, and Mr. Collins said earlier this week that he knows Mr. Jackson well and that his positions are “obviously” aligned with socialism.
She noted that Mr. Jackson campaigned for Mr. Sanders in his first presidential campaign in Maine, adding, “He’s a Bernie brother.”
Mr. Jackson will also have to scramble to bridge the fundraising gap with Mr. Collins, who has been raising money for months.
She has raised more than $16 million so far, according to federal filings. Jackson’s campaign announced this week that it has raised more than $1 million since jumping into the Senate race.
Jackson believes his team is up to the task.
“We are building a movement in every corner of our state to defeat Susan Collins and elect a senator who will fight like hell for working people,” Jackson said last week.
