BANGOR, Maine — Troy Jackson, a former Maine state lawmaker and longtime logger, won the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate in Maine on Saturday.
Jackson is now set to challenge veteran Republican Sen. Susan Collins in November, in a high-stakes Maine Senate race that could help determine which party controls the chamber.
He steps in for Graham Platner, who captured the Democratic primary in June but ended his campaign earlier this month after being accused of sexual assault, an allegation Platner has denied.
Platner’s withdrawal sent Maine Democrats into an emergency scramble, prompting the party to create a replacement nominating process it had never used before. More than 600 delegates from across Maine gathered in Bangor, roughly 130 miles (209.21 kilometers) north of Portland, to select a new nominee. Jackson secured the nomination after winning majority support from delegates.
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His win came as little surprise after his campaign said more than 480 convention delegates had already pledged their support. Jackson, a progressive Democrat, has backed Medicare for All and has called for dismantling Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Jackson’s political career began with an unsuccessful Republican run for the Maine House of Representatives in 2000. Two years later, he won a seat as an independent, then joined the Democratic Party in 2004. He later rose to become president of the Maine Senate before leaving the Legislature in 2024.
Earlier this year, Jackson finished third in the Democratic primary for governor. Still, he entered the Senate nominating fight with support from Platner, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders and Our Revolution, the political group launched by Sanders.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.
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