By Ken Thomas and Sabrina Rodriguez

Troy Jackson, a former state Senate president, finished a disappointing third place in Maine's Democratic primary for governor about six weeks ago. Now, following the implosion of Graham Platner's Senate candidacy, the small-town logger is on track to replace Platner on the ballot.

Jackson tapped into a powerful progressive organizing effort last weekend to attract overwhelming support from local delegates ahead of a state convention to pick the Democratic nominee. Jackson, 58 years old, is all but assured to emerge as the challenger to Sen. Susan Collins (R., Maine), who remains the most vulnerable Senate Republican in the November midterm elections.

Here's a look at Troy Jackson:

A progressive politician

Jackson, a longtime state lawmaker and Senate president, ran for governor earlier this year as a progressive, picking up the support of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. Jackson finished third in the ranked-choice Democratic primary against Nirav Shah, a former head of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and Hannah Pingree, a former House speaker who won the nomination, and just ahead of fourth-place finisher Shenna Bellows, Maine's secretary of state. Jackson received support from progressive groups and organized labor, appealing to working-class voters in northern Maine.

Ally of Platner

Jackson maintained a close alliance with Platner during the campaign, appearing with the former Senate candidate at rallies and drawing from a similar base of support. Jackson shared a similar policy agenda with the Maine oysterman, including support for universal healthcare and the abolition of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. But when Platner faced allegations of rape, which Platner denied, Jackson called on Platner to withdraw from the race along with other Democrats in Maine and around the U.S.

Former Republican

Jackson's political career has evolved during nearly three-decades in state politics. He once opposed abortion rights and same-sex marriage but later changed his position on the issues. He ran as a Republican for a state House of Representatives seat in 2000, losing the race to a Democrat. He was elected to the state House representing northern Aroostook County two years later as an independent and then became a Democrat in 2004, winning re-election to his House seat.

Jackson was elected to the Maine Senate in 2008 and served through 2014, when he unsuccessfully ran for Congress, losing in a Democratic primary to Emily Cain. He won his state Senate seat in 2016 and served as Senate president during his final six years in office through 2024.

Small-town roots

Jackson, a fifth-generation Mainer, was born in Fort Kent, Maine, along the Canadian border, to a 16-year-old mother and raised in Allagash, a neighboring town in rural Aroostook County. He is from the same county as Collins. Jackson, like his father, was a logger and first got involved in politics in 1998 when he led a blockade along the U.S.-Canadian border to protest landowners hiring lower-wage Canadian contract workers over American loggers. Jackson's home area has supported President Trump in the past three presidential elections.

Write to Ken Thomas at ken.thomas@wsj.com and Sabrina Rodriguez at sabrina.rodriguez@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

July 20, 2026 14:36 ET (18:36 GMT)