Maine Democrats officially nominated former Senate President Troy Jackson as their U.S. Senate candidate on Saturday, replacing Graham Platner after his withdrawal from the race earlier this month.
Jackson overwhelmingly secured the nomination at a special Democratic convention in Bangor, receiving 566 of 571 delegate votes. He will face Republican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins in November in one of the nation’s closely watched Senate races.
The nomination followed a rapid shakeup that began after allegations of sexual assault against Platner surfaced in early July. Party leaders quickly organized a new selection process, prompting more than a dozen Democrats to seek the nomination before delegates ultimately rallied behind Jackson.
Former rivals, including Shenna Bellows and Nirav Shah, dropped out before the convention, leaving biotech executive Saundra Pelletier as Jackson’s only remaining challenger. Pelletier urged delegates to choose the candidate best positioned to defeat Collins but received little support.
In his acceptance speech, Jackson criticized Collins for supporting policies he said benefit wealthy Americans and pledged to focus his campaign on issues including universal health care, lower prescription drug costs and expanded child care access.
The Collins-Jackson race is expected to attract hundreds of millions of dollars in campaign spending as Republicans work to defend a key Senate seat. Jackson’s campaign recently announced it had raised $1 million, though Collins and national Republicans maintain a significant financial advantage heading into the general election.
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