By Ken Thomas

BANGOR, Maine -- Former Maine Senate President Troy Jackson secured the Democratic Senate nomination in a special nominating convention, as the party sought to rebound in the aftermath of Graham Platner's decision to abandon his scandal-plagued campaign.

Jackson, a fifth-generation Mainer and former logger, was formally nominated Saturday to challenge Sen. Susan Collins, a Republican who was first elected in 1996 and remains the most vulnerable Senate Republican seeking re-election in November.

"For nearly 30 years, Collins has told Maine she is concerned," Jackson said, referencing a phrase the senator has used in the past. "But concern does not lower the cost of groceries or gas...Maine does not need another six years of concern." Delegates waved blue signs reading, "No More Concerns" and "Retire Susan."

Winning the Senate race in Maine is central to Democrats' strategy of recapturing control of the Senate majority in the November elections, a move that would empower the party during President Trump's final two years in office.

Jackson, a 58-year-old former state lawmaker, ran for governor earlier this year as a progressive, campaigning alongside Platner and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. Jackson finished third in the ranked-choice Democratic primary, but showed strength with organized labor and working-class voters in northern Maine, which has backed Trump in recent presidential elections.

When sexual misconduct allegations against Platner arose, Jackson called on him to withdraw from the race. The ex-Senate president shares a similar policy agenda with Platner, including support for universal healthcare and the abolition of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The convention brought together more than 600 delegates from across the state to choose a new Senate nominee ahead of a Monday deadline. The state party acted quickly to respond to calls from party activists, many of whom were drawn into the campaign by Platner, to create a process to name his replacement.

Jackson won overwhelmingly over Saundra Pelletier, a CEO of Evofem Biosciences, receiving the support of 566 delegates with Pelletier receiving five delegates. Before the convention, several Senate candidates, including ex-gubernatorial candidates Nirav Shah and Shenna Bellows, dropped out of the race after Jackson's supporters won an overwhelming number of delegates.

Charlie Dingman, the state party chairman, said Democratic leaders in the state recognized that quickly organizing a process to replace Platner would be difficult. "There were people who helpfully advised us that our plan was somewhere between a high-wire act and a moon landing. But we knew that the easy, establishment path was totally unacceptable," Dingman said.

"Look around this room, look at what Maine Democrats did," Dingman said.

Write to Ken Thomas at ken.thomas@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

July 25, 2026 11:51 ET (15:51 GMT)