BANGOR, Maine — Troy Jackson, a longtime state legislator and former state Senate president, was officially chosen as the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in Maine at a party convention Saturday, launching a 101-day push to Election Day in a race that could help determine control of the Senate.
Hundreds of delegates filled a Bangor ballroom after the party moved to replace Graham Platner, the primary winner who abruptly ended his campaign earlier this month amid a sexual assault allegation he has denied. Party leaders and county meetings had already coalesced around Jackson: when ballots were counted at the convention, he captured all but five of the 571 votes cast, prompting cheers and chants from the crowd.
Democrats are eager to move quickly to the general election against incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins, a six-term senator who is seeking re-election in a state President Trump lost in 2024. National Democrats view Maine as one of their clearest pickup opportunities in a bid to gain four seats and flip control of the Senate.
Jackson used his convention remarks to frame the contest as a contrast with Collins’ record. He criticized her past votes and priorities — saying “concern” alone has not reduced costs for families, preserved rural hospitals, or restored rights he argues have been taken away — and positioned himself as a fighter who will prioritize working people.
The Collins campaign immediately criticized the selection process as closed and denounced Jackson as a low-energy, partisan figure whose record, they said, would hurt affordability and schools. Collins’ team also highlighted her long tenure on the Senate Appropriations Committee and the federal funding she has delivered to Maine.
Jackson’s path to victory will require rapid organization and substantial funding. He must build a statewide operation, mount a multiplatform advertising effort, and persuade many Mainers who have supported Collins for decades to vote for change. Campaign officials announced that Jackson raised over $600,000 in roughly 72 hours and has passed $1 million since launching his Senate bid in early July. That haul is a strong start but far smaller than Collins’ reported $11 million cash-on-hand as of June 30; outside Republican groups are preparing to spend heavily as well.
National Democrats have signaled they will back the nominee. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee indicated it will support the party’s choice once the state process concluded, and Jackson is expected to draw help from party groups that paused their involvement after Platner’s scandal. Jackson said he hadn’t yet talked to Senate leaders following the convention.
Republicans and allied super PACs wasted no time preparing attacks. Senate Leadership Fund plans a six-figure digital ad buy and has signaled intentions to spend heavily in Maine, portraying Jackson as volatile and highlighting past confrontations during his years in the state Legislature. The GOP ad narrative points to episodes of heated exchanges with colleagues and asserts a pattern of temper and conflict.
Jackson rejected those characterizations as partisan smears while acknowledging he can be passionate — at times too passionate — in fights over issues such as prescription drug coverage. Supporters defended his intensity as the kind of toughness needed to stand up for working-class Mainers, pointing to his background as a logger and his roots in Allagash in northern Maine.
That background is also one reason Democrats rallied behind him: strategists inside the party believe Jackson’s working-class profile and ties to rural northern Maine could blunt Collins’ longstanding strength in the state’s 2nd Congressional District. Some Democrats say the path to an upset is straightforward: maximize turnout and margins in Democratic-leaning cities like Portland and improve results in rural areas where Jackson has historically overperformed.
But hurdles remain. Jackson underperformed in wealthier parts of the state when he ran in the Democratic primary for governor earlier this year — areas where Collins typically does well — and the 2020 results underscore how resilient Collins’ appeal can be. In that cycle she won re-election by nearly nine points while Joe Biden carried Maine by a similar margin, with Collins overperforming among independents, moderates and many women.
The tenor of the campaign could hinge on messaging and outside spending. Jackson has supporters who say his record fighting for prescription drug relief and rural services will resonate; opponents will contrast his legislative record and left-leaning endorsements with Collins’ claim to bipartisan results and federal projects for the state. Collins has already attempted to paint Jackson as aligned with democratic socialists, pointing to his past endorsement of Bernie Sanders, a comparison Jackson’s allies dispute as simplistic.
For many Democrats who feared Platner’s nomination, Jackson’s selection brings relief and renewed focus. Voters who were unsure about Platner said they can support Jackson, and party officials now face the task of uniting fundraising, organizing, and message operations to make the race competitive.
With just over three months until Election Day, the contest in Maine has shifted from an unpredictable primary fight to an intense general-election matchup. Jackson must quickly expand his fundraising and reach while defending against aggressive GOP spending, and Collins will work to define him for voters and protect the coalition that has sustained her long Senate career. The outcome will be closely watched nationwide as both parties vie for control of the upper chamber.