BANGOR, Maine (AP) 鈥� Maine Democrats on Saturday will choose a new U.S. Senate nominee to face longtime Republican Sen. in a contest that could decide control of the Senate, after Graham Platner of the race following an allegation of sexual assault.
Support has coalesced around former state Senate President , a fifth-generation logger from rural northern Maine who campaigned alongside Platner during a failed bid for governor and was a favorite among progressives to replace him.
The Maine Democratic Party has been scrambling to choose a new nominee after Platner, who sailed to victory in was accused by a former girlfriend of sexually in 2021. Platner denies the allegation, but quit the race after key supporters called on him to withdraw.
Democrats have seen Maine as the party鈥檚 best opportunity to flip a Senate seat this year because it is a competitive Senate race in a state that President Donald Trump lost in 2024. But defeating Collins won’t be easy. The five-term incumbent holds a fundraising advantage, while the new nominee will have less than four months to sell themselves to voters.
Maine law gave the state party authority to choose a replacement and required a new nominee to be named by Monday 鈥� 99 days before the Nov. 3 election.
Maine Democrats’ never-before-used process of voting on a new nominee will involve more than 600 Democratic delegates gathering in Bangor, about 130 miles (209.21 kilometers) north of Portland. The delegates were elected at county party meetings last weekend.
鈥淲e have worked hard to create a fair process that is inclusive of varying viewpoints and diverse backgrounds of Democrats across the state of Maine, as we all come together in service of our ultimate goal: defeat Susan Collins and win this Senate seat,鈥� the party said in a statement.
Other top candidates dropped out after Jackson scooped up support
Once Platner dropped out on July 10, a former governor candidates 鈥� including Jackson 鈥� and others jumped to try to take Platner’s place. But by July 19, most had abandoned their bids, with Jackson emerging as the clear favorite.
Jackson received early support from progressives who had backed Platner before he dropped out. Our Revolution, the political organization founded nearly a decade ago by Sen. Bernie Sanders, initially backed Jackson for governor and Platner for Senate. When Platner left the race, the group rallied behind Jackson.
Jackson previously ran Maine operations for Sanders’ 2016 presidential bid. This election cycle, Sanders endorsed Jackson for governor and Platner for Senate, though the independent senator from Vermont withdrew his support for Platner after the sexual assault allegation. He said he didn’t plan to weigh in on which Democrat should replace Platner.
Just one other candidate has remained in the race for the Senate nomination 鈥� women鈥檚 health company CEO Saundra Pelletier. She faces long odds against Jackson, who has been a fixture in Maine politics for more than a decade.
Jackson’s campaign says more than 480 of the 601 delegates who will be voting at Saturday’s convention are committed to supporting him.
Jackson has supported progressive positions such as Medicare for All. He also has called for the abolition of , whose presence in Maine has been hotly debated since an agent in the state earlier this month.
Maine is an important piece of Democrats鈥� effort to win the Senate
Democrats have a narrow path to take back the Senate in November and it鈥檚 highly unlikely they can do it without a win in Maine. In addition, they need victories in competitive races in North Carolina, Alaska and Ohio, and they need to hang on to the seats they already have. That includes open Senate seats in Michigan and Minnesota, where Democratic incumbents are retiring.
Maine’s Democratic primary was one of the early contests where progressives took on establishment-backed Democrats. While Platner faced during his campaign, he easily outlasted Gov. Janet Mills, who was backed by Democratic Senate leader Chuck Schumer but before the June 9 primary.
Platner had backing from Sanders as well as Arizona Sen. Ruben Gallego and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren. That support disintegrated after the sexual assault allegation early this month.
Collins has described Jackson as a 鈥楤ernie Bro鈥�
If he becomes the nominee, Jackson will need to convince the state’s large independent voting bloc that it’s time to replace Collins. Republicans have called Jackson too extreme for Maine voters, and Collins said earlier this week that she knows Jackson well and that his positions are 鈥渃learly鈥� in line with socialism.
She noted Jackson ran Sanders’ first presidential campaign in Maine, adding 鈥淗e’s a Bernie Bro.鈥�
Jackson would also need to scramble to make up a fundraising gulf against Collins, who has been raising money for months.
Federal filings show she has raised more than $16 million so far. Jackson’s campaign this week said he raised more than $1 million since jumping into the Senate race.
Jackson believes his team is up to the task.
鈥淲e are building a movement in every corner of this state to defeat Susan Collins and elect a senator who will fight like hell for working people,鈥� Jackson said last week.
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AP journalist Nathan Ellgren in Washington contributed to this report.
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