Maine Democrats convened on Saturday to select a new U.S. Senate nominee for the November ballot. The meeting follows the withdrawal of Graham Platner, who won the June primary but departed the race following an allegation of sexual assault. Under Maine law, the party had until July 27 to name a replacement after the mid-July withdrawal deadline.
Former state Senate President Troy Jackson is the expected front-runner for the nomination. Jackson previously secured support from the majority of the 500 delegates elected during county-level meetings. His presence in the race led other potential candidates, including Secretary of State Shenna Bellows and former Maine CDC Director Nirav Shah, to withdraw their names from consideration.
While Jackson has secured a majority of the delegate positions, candidates David Costello and Saundra Pelletier remain on the convention ballot. Dan Kleban, a brewery co-founder, also qualified for the ballot but has requested to withdraw and endorsed Jackson. Delegates from Maine’s 16 counties will cast the final votes to determine who will challenge incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins.
Jackson served as state Senate president from 2018 to 2024 and has previously served in the state House. Initially a Republican and later an independent, he joined the Democratic Party and has been associated with progressive policy platforms, including his work on Sen. Bernie Sanders' (I-VT) 2016 presidential campaign.