Maine Democrats have formally selected Troy Jackson as their new Senate nominee, ending three weeks of turmoil that threatened the party’s bid to unseat Republican Sen. Susan Collins.
The selection comes with just 101 days until the November election, leaving Democrats little time to consolidate support and mount a credible challenge against Collins, a five-term incumbent.
Jackson, a 58-year-old logger and former Maine Senate leader, won the nomination at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor by a landslide vote of 566 to 5.
His only challenger at the convention was biopharmaceutical executive Saundra Pelletier, who received the remaining five votes cast by the roughly 600 delegates present.
The convention marked the conclusion of an abbreviated selection process launched after Graham Platner suspended his campaign following a sexual assault allegation made by a woman he had previously dated.
Platner denied the allegation, but the accusation proved to be the final blow for a campaign already mired in months of controversy.
Jackson had aligned with Platner and Sen. Bernie Sanders during an unsuccessful gubernatorial run earlier this year, and he swept the delegate selection process by commandeering the progressive movement that had previously backed Platner.
Several rivals, including Nirav Shah, Shenna Bellows, and Dan Kleban, dropped out ahead of Saturday’s convention as Jackson consolidated delegate support.
“This is the absolute honor of my life to accept the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate,” Jackson told supporters, adding, “I will spend every day now through November earning that trust.”
Jackson did not mention Platner by name in his remarks, but reached out to his former supporters by acknowledging that their trust “has to be earned.”
The Washington Post reported earlier this week that Jackson had at times acted abrasively toward colleagues during his Senate tenure, including allegedly throwing a water bottle during a meeting and clashing with female legislative leaders.
Jackson’s campaign acknowledged the incidents and said he had apologized and taken ownership of his conduct when those events occurred.
His broader challenge will be assembling the coalition of independent and crossover voters who have helped Collins retain her seat across five Senate terms in an increasingly Democratic-leaning state.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chair Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand issued a joint statement declaring, “In November, we will defeat Susan Collins and win a Senate majority.”
The Maine Democratic Party faces a Monday deadline to submit Jackson’s name to state officials in order for him to appear on the November ballot.
