Overview
Troy Jackson, the former president of the Maine Senate, has obtained the explicit backing of a majority of the state delegates chosen at county-level meetings, setting him up as the presumptive Democratic nominee to run against incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Susan Collins in November, Politico reported.
Delegate support and convention dynamics
At weekend county caucuses that produced the 601 delegates who will attend the statewide Democratic convention next weekend, nearly two-thirds of delegates committed to Jackson, according to the report. The delegates are not legally bound to their commitments at the convention, but their public pledges amount to significant momentum for Jackson heading into the formal proceedings.
Context within the party
Jackson dominated the county meetings, finishing well ahead of two rivals who sought delegate support. One of those rivals, Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, withdrew on Sunday and said she would concentrate on her official duties while urging swift party unity to mount a competitive challenge to Collins.
Jackson’s profile
Jackson is a former logger from northern Maine who previously led the state Senate. He has longstanding ties to the state’s labor movement and is connected to the progressive wing of the party. The report noted that Senator Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent who caucuses with Democrats, endorsed Jackson in a past bid for governor. During the Democratic primary season, Jackson campaigned for Graham Platner but later joined fellow Democrats who encouraged Platner to step aside after allegations surfaced.
Platner’s exit and replacement process
Graham Platner, who won the Democratic primary in June with more than 70% of the vote after Governor Janet Mills suspended her campaign in April, suspended his campaign on July 8. Platner, characterized in reporting as a populist progressive, suspended his bid after a woman accused him of sexually assaulting her during a relationship five years earlier. Platner denies the allegation, but he said pressure from state and national Democrats made continuation infeasible.
The state Democratic Party has until July 27 to name a replacement nominee.
Electoral stakes
Observers view Collins as among the most vulnerable Republican incumbents in the 2026 cycle, making the Maine Senate seat important to Democratic hopes of flipping the Senate’s 53-47 Republican majority. Collins has held her Senate seat since 1997. The report also notes that Democrats have not won a Senate race in Maine since 1988.
Collins is the only Republican listed as up for reelection in a state that former Vice President Kamala Harris carried in the 2024 election, defeating President Donald Trump there by about 7 points.
Reporting in this article reflects facts and timelines provided in the account described above; it does not introduce new events or claims beyond that source material.