Troy Jackson speaks during Maine Democrats’ nominating convention at the Bangor Cross Insurance Center on Saturday in Bangor, Maine.
Ashley L. Conti for NPR
hide caption
toggle caption
Ashley L. Conti for NPR
BANGOR, Maine — Democrats in Maine have officially selected Troy Jackson as their new nominee for U.S. Senate. He will face longtime Republican incumbent Susan Collins in what will be one of the most closely watched races in this fall’s midterm election.
Jackson, the former president of the Maine Senate, emerged victorious at a nominating convention held by the state party in Bangor, Maine, on Saturday. He won his party’s nod with the support of 566 of 571 delegates who voted at the convention.
“They will say that a grassroots campaign, powered by working people, cannot defeat Susan Collins and every powerful interest standing behind her. They are wrong again,” Jackson said in an acceptance speech. “Because we can, we can together. Shoulder to shoulder, we can defeat Susan Collins, and we can take back that Senate seat, and we can build a government that finally works for working Mainers, not the power brokers who write the biggest checks anymore.”
Jackson replaces Graham Platner as the Democratic nominee. Platner suspended his campaign earlier this month after a woman he once dated came forward and accused him of raping her in 2021. Platner has denied the allegation, but it was the final straw for Democrats after months of controversy surrounding him.
Now, after an abbreviated and chaotic search for a replacement, Maine Democrats are looking to move past Platner’s scandal-plagued campaign and rally behind Jackson, hoping he can harness the same energy and momentum.
Jackson did not mention Platner by name in his remarks. But he sought to reach out to his supporters, saying he has always known “that your trust has to be earned.”
Jackson interacts with delegates after being nominated as the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate.
Ashley L. Conti for NPR
hide caption
toggle caption
Ashley L. Conti for NPR
“I want you to hear this directly from me: there is a place in this campaign for all of you. There is work for you in this movement,” he said.
The Senate race in Maine holds far-reaching political implications. Democrats need to net a total of four seats to win back control of the chamber this fall, and party officials see the contest in Maine as one of their best opportunities to gain ground.
Maintaining Platner’s movement, without the controversy
Jackson, a fifth-generation logger from northern Maine, is running on an economic populist message that mirrors much of what Platner emphasized in his campaign, rejecting the Democratic establishment and focusing on affordability concerns, backing policies like Medicare for All and raising taxes on the ultra-wealthy and large corporations.
Like other more progressive candidates on the left, Jackson is pushing for the abolishment of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and an end to U.S. military aid to Israel. He’s also advocating for Congress to pass civil rights legislation protecting LGBTQ Americans and federalize the right to an abortion — two issues where he’s changed his views after taking more conservative stances during his early years in public office.
When asked about Jackson’s history with reproductive rights, Democratic state Sen. Stacy Brenner argued that it wasn’t a deterrent in supporting him.
“What I find compelling about legislators and policymakers is when they are able to evolve with the thinking of where their heart is, where their mind is, when they learn about data and when they hear stories [from] their constituents,” said Brenner, who also has a background as a farmer and nurse.
“That’s what’s happened for Troy,” she added.
Jackson supporters celebrate his lengthy tenure in Maine politics as well as his blue-collar roots. And despite recent reporting in The Washington Post and CNN describing Jackson as exhibiting a short temper with colleagues during his time in office, he has faced minimal public pushback from state leaders in the lead-up to the convention.
Delegates cheer for Jackson after he secured his party’s nomination for Senate.
Ashley L. Conti for NPR
hide caption
toggle caption
Ashley L. Conti for NPR
Delegates from all 16 Maine counties participated in Saturday’s nominating convention.
Ashley L. Conti for NPR
hide caption
toggle caption
Ashley L. Conti for NPR
“He’s passionate. He doesn’t deviate. He’s funny. He can get a little testy at times because he’s passionate,” said former state Sen. Susan Deschambault as she walked into the Cross Insurance Center where the convention was taking place Saturday. “That’s what we need. We don’t like what’s going on now.”
Whether Jackson can command the same level of enthusiasm that Platner garnered over the past year remains an open question, even to some Mainers who plan to cast their ballot for Jackson this fall.
Some Democrats contend that Platner and Jackson share the same set of values when it comes to the issues, arguing that is what will keep the momentum going for the party heading into the general election.
“Troy Jackson has been working at getting these progressive policies in Maine for years, like since before I was born,” said 22-year-old delegate Kaia De Vries, a graduate student at the University of Maine. “It wasn’t [Platner’s] movement. This is a progressive movement that still exists, that will continue without him being a public-facing part of it.”
Standing next to De Vries, 30-year-old Aurora Green agreed, saying no one individual is the face of this moment.
“This isn’t about Graham Platner. This isn’t even about Troy Jackson,” she said. “This is about a movement of working-class Mainers and workers coming together and saying that we aren’t going to be bought out and that we deserve better.”
A tough road ahead for the nominee
While Collins has faced competitive challengers before, Democrats see the fifth-term incumbent as particularly vulnerable this year. She’s running in a state carried by Kamala Harris in 2024, and at a moment when many voters have soured on President Trump’s handling of the economy and the war in Iran.
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, walks in the annual Moxie Day Parade on July 11 in Lisbon, Maine.
Scott Eisen/Getty Images
hide caption
toggle caption
Scott Eisen/Getty Images
Still, Jackson will face a difficult path to victory, with only about 100 days before voting ends on Nov. 3 to build up a war chest and make his case to voters.
In a statement for the Collins campaign, spokesperson Shawn Roderick criticized Jackson for what he described as a “partisan record of driving up costs, hurting our schools, and making life less affordable for families across the state.”
“Senator Collins looks forward to waging a vigorous and issues-oriented campaign that will distinguish her record of accomplishment against Troy’s angry sound bites and far-left ideology,” the campaign said.
In Collins, Jackson is running against one of the most senior Republican incumbents in the Senate. Collins, who has held her seat for 30 years, holds a massive fundraising edge, reporting $11 million in cash on hand, according to latest Federal Election Commission filings.
“We can build a government that finally works for working Mainers,” Jackson told delegates during his acceptance speech on Saturday.
Ashley L. Conti for NPR
hide caption
toggle caption
Ashley L. Conti for NPR
But Jackson’s campaign argues that it has momentum, reporting a fundraising haul of more than $1 million since he announced his run.
Jackson concluded his remarks Saturday with a call for unity.
“If you believe our freedoms are worth defending, stand with us. And if you believe that Maine deserves a senator who will fight like hell for working class people, well stand with us,” he said. “We have a party to unite, we have a movement to build, and we have a senator to defeat, and together, we are going to win.”
