Former Maine Senate President Troy Jackson is rapidly advancing toward securing the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate seat in Maine. This follows the withdrawal of ex-candidate Graham Platner, with Jackson-aligned delegates winning the vast majority of the 319 delegate slots contested on Saturday, July 19, 2026, across Maine's 16 counties.

Jackson's supporters claimed more than 90% of the delegate positions, including all 149 slots in Cumberland County, the state's most populous county and home to Portland, Maine's largest city. This strong delegate showing places Jackson in a commanding position to become the Democratic nominee.

Jackson addressed his supporters via a video posted on social media Saturday night, stating, "We’re well on our way to getting the government that we deserve."

The upcoming midterm election is expected to be a highly competitive and costly contest, with Jackson set to face longtime Republican Senator Susan Collins. This race is among a dozen nationwide that will influence whether Democrats can regain control of the Senate majority.

Jackson has framed his campaign as a fight against a system he describes as rigged against working people, advocating for policies such as Medicare-for-all, strong unions, higher wages, reproductive freedom, and ensuring billionaires and corporations pay their fair share. He made these remarks last week during a Our Revolution virtual town hall, referencing supporters of Platner.

Other candidates, including Nirav Shah, a former director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention and runner-up in the recent Democratic gubernatorial primary, secured only a handful of delegates in the recent selection process.

Sources