Former Maine Senate President Troy Jackson has taken a commanding lead in the race to become the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate following Graham Platner’s abrupt exit from the contest.
Delegates aligned with Jackson secured the vast majority of 319 available slots on Saturday as Maine’s 16 counties began two days of delegate selection ahead of next weekend’s nominating convention.
Jackson is now positioned to claim the nomination and challenge longtime Republican Senator Susan Collins in a midterm contest expected to be among the most competitive nationally.
The outcome will factor into whether Democrats can reclaim the Senate, where Republicans currently hold a 53–47 majority.
A fifth-generation logger who left the Republican Party two decades ago, Jackson finished third in last month’s Democratic gubernatorial primary before entering the Senate race.
On Saturday, Jackson-backed delegates won more than 90% of contested slots, including all 149 in Cumberland County, the state’s most populous region and home to Portland.
Jackson is running on a progressive, populist platform focused on working-class voters, advocating higher taxes on billionaires, Medicare-for-all, the abolition of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and opposing military aid to Israel.
His remaining opponents lagged significantly in delegate selection. A former state health director who placed second in the gubernatorial primary secured only a handful of slots.
The Maine secretary of state and a former congressional staffer trailed further behind, with both having previously sought other offices this cycle.
Eight counties will select 181 additional delegates on Sunday. The 500 chosen this weekend will join 101 automatic delegates from the state Democratic committee.
All 601 delegates will vote on the Senate nominee at next Saturday’s convention in Bangor.
Platner, a combat veteran and oyster farmer, had built a rapid grassroots surge after launching his bid last year with progressive backing.
He withdrew earlier this month amid controversy following a report containing a rape allegation from a former partner, which he denied.
Jackson had urged Platner to exit but previously campaigned alongside him, arguing for continuity in the progressive agenda.
At a recent candidate debate, Jackson credited Platner with sharpening the focus on health care costs and prescription drug reform for Maine residents.
