Troy Jackson is all but certain to replace Graham Platner as the Democratic nominee after rival candidates dropped out and his supporters swept delegate elections, effectively turning the party’s open nominating process for Maine Senate into a near-coronation. Jackson has secured the support of a majority of the state party delegates who will choose Platner’s replacement on July 25, effectively locking up the nomination before the convention convenes and clearing a path to face Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) in November.Unlike the rapid Democratic consolidation around then-Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024, Maine Democrats opted for a delegate convention designed to give multiple candidates a chance to compete. County-level delegate elections, however, demonstrated Jackson’s organizational strength, with his supporters winning a majority of delegate seats before the convention.
Former health official Nirav Shah, beer brewer Dan Kleban, and former congressional candidate Jordan Wood dropped out of the race over the weekend and endorsed Jackson. The withdrawals underscored how quickly the contest had consolidated around Jackson, a former Maine Senate president who lost a primary challenge this year to Gov. Janet Mills (D-ME).Each of the exiting candidates cited the need for Democrats to unite behind a single candidate to defeat Collins.Shah, for example, warned that five-term incumbent Collins “will not be defeated without a united Democratic Party.”Shenna Bellows, who serves as the state’s top elections official as Maine secretary of state, also withdrew but did not make an official endorsement. She said Democrats “don’t have a day to waste in unifying around that shared goal” of unseating Collins.U.S. Senate candidate Troy Jackson takes part in a debate at the WCSH-6 television studio, Thursday, July 16, 2026, in Portland, Maine. (Robert F. Bukaty/AP Photo)
