Former Maine state legislator Troy Jackson has moved into a commanding position to become the Democratic Party’s U.S. Senate candidate after multiple opponents withdrew from the race on Sunday.
The rapid reshaping of the field unfolded over a weekend when Democratic committees throughout Maine were busy selecting delegates for a nominating convention scheduled for July 25. That convention will determine who faces Republican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins in the November election.
Over Saturday and Sunday, the Jackson campaign announced it had locked up hundreds of delegate commitments heading into the convention, including a sweep of delegates from Cumberland County, the state’s most populated county.
That show of strength prompted a wave of withdrawals from the race.
Maine’s Secretary of State, Shenna Bellows, pulled out Sunday morning, stating that Democrats did not have “a day to waste in unifying” around the effort to defeat Collins.
Nirav Shah, who previously led Maine’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention, exited the race and threw his support behind Jackson on Sunday evening. Shortly after, Dan Kleban, co-founder of Maine Beer Company, and Jordan Wood also dropped out and endorsed Jackson.
With his most significant challengers now out of the picture, Jackson appears extremely difficult to beat at next weekend’s convention.
The Democratic scramble began after Graham Platner — who had won the party’s primary — withdrew from the race this month. Platner had energized portions of the progressive base, but his campaign fell apart following complaints from several women about his conduct, including a former girlfriend who alleged sexual assault. Platner denied that allegation.
Our Revolution, a progressive group originally founded by Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders that had previously supported Platner, has now shifted its backing to Jackson.
Jackson, 58, worked as a logger before entering politics. He won election to the state legislature in 2002 and eventually rose to become president of Maine’s state senate, a position he held until leaving office in 2024 due to term limits.
Earlier this year, Jackson ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination — a bid that had received the endorsement of Platner.
