Former Maine Senate President Troy Jackson has emerged as the clear frontrunner for the Democratic Senate nomination after his allies won the vast majority of delegate slots during weekend selection events, and his top two rivals abruptly exited the race on Sunday. Jackson-aligned delegates captured more than 470 of the 500 slots up for grabs across Maine's 16 counties, including all 149 delegates in Cumberland County, the state's most populous county and home to Portland. The delegate sweep positions Jackson to formally secure the nomination at next Saturday's convention in Bangor, where 601 delegates will vote to choose the candidate to face Republican Senator Susan Collins in what is expected to be a fiercely contested and expensive midterm election.
Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, who had been a leading contender for the nomination, announced her withdrawal Sunday morning, stating that her focus would remain on her role as secretary of state amid what she described as accelerating attacks on democracy by former President Donald Trump. Bellows did not mention Jackson in her statement. Later Sunday evening, Nirav Shah, a former director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention who also served as principal deputy director of the federal CDC under President Joe Biden, dropped out and endorsed Jackson. Shah urged party unity, writing, «Susan Collins will not be defeated without a united Democratic Party.» Two other candidates, former congressional staffer Jordan Wood and Maine Beer Company co-founder Dan Kleban, also ended their campaigns on Sunday.
Jackson, a fifth-generation logger who was a conservative Republican before switching to the Democratic Party more than two decades ago, came in third place in Maine's Democratic gubernatorial primary last month. He has positioned himself as a progressive and populist candidate focused on working-class voters, echoing the platform of former candidate Graham Platner, who dropped out earlier this month amid a rape allegation he denied. Jackson had called on Platner to exit the race but previously campaigned alongside him. Jackson's platform includes raising taxes on billionaires, supporting a universal healthcare system known as «Medicare-for-all,» abolishing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and opposing military aid to Israel, a stance that reflects growing divisions among Democrats.
The race to replace Platner has been marked by rapid developments. Platner, a combat veteran and oyster farmer backed by Senator Bernie Sanders, had quickly gained momentum and defeated Democratic establishment figures, including two-term Governor Janet Mills, who suspended her campaign this spring after trailing in fundraising and polls. However, Platner's campaign unraveled following an explosive report containing an allegation of rape from a woman he previously dated. Platner denied the allegation but stepped aside amid calls from top Democrats to exit the race. Jackson, who had the support of Sanders during his gubernatorial run and is backed by the progressive group «Our Revolution,» has sought to rally the party behind his candidacy.
The general election matchup against Collins, a moderate Republican seeking a sixth term, is expected to be one of the most competitive Senate races in the country. The GOP currently holds a 53-47 majority in the Senate, and the outcome in Maine could help determine which party controls the chamber after the midterms. Jackson, in a social media post Sunday evening, declared, «In November, Mainers will defeat Susan Collins, and we will take back our Senate seat from the billionaires and corporations who think they own it.» He also thanked Shah and urged Democrats to «build the broadest possible coalition» to defeat Collins. The convention next weekend will formally set the stage for what promises to be a combative and expensive ballot box battle.