Bellows, Shah endorse former state senator for Platner seat
The quick change in the landscape of the race came on a weekend when party committees across the state began choosing delegates for a nominating convention that will meet July 25 to select a new candidate to face Republican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins in November, according to the Associated Press.
Between Saturday and Sunday, Jackson’s campaign said it had secured hundreds of delegates who had promised to back him at the convention, including all of their preferred delegates for Maine’s most populous county, Cumberland. His strength caused an exodus, the AP reported.
Bellows withdrew Sunday morning, saying Democrats did not have “a day to waste in unifying” around the goal of defeating Collins. Shah dropped out and endorsed Jackson in the early evening, and was quickly followed by Kleban and Wood, both of whom also endorsed Jackson, according to the AP.