Jackson nominated after Platner’s campaign implodes
PORTLAND, Maine — Former Vice President Kamala Harris on Monday endorsed Maine’s Democratic U.S. Senate candidate, Troy Jackson, just two days after the state party used a hastily called nominating process to name him as the replacement candidate.
Jackson secured the Democrats’ nomination on Saturday to run against longtime Republican Sen. Susan Collins. Party delegates held a special nominating convention after Graham Platner, who won the June primary, withdrew from the race in the wake of sexual assault accusations that he has denied.
The last-minute scramble for a new candidate in a top-tier race was reminiscent of how Harris ascended to the Democratic presidential nomination two years ago. She became the party’s nominee in August 2024 after President Joe Biden abruptly ended his reelection campaign following a disastrous debate performance against then-former President Donald Trump. Trump went on to defeat Harris, winning every presidential battleground state.
Jackson is a fifth-generation logger from a rural, heavily Republican area of northern Maine and served as president of the state’s Democratic-controlled Senate. He now faces a compressed general election campaign against Collins, who has held her seat for 30 years and is one of the most prominent Republicans in the chamber. The race is considered one of the Democrats’ best opportunities to flip a seat and is crucial for determining control of the Senate.
The endorsement from Harris, who remains a prominent figure in national Democratic politics, gives Jackson a major boost in fundraising and visibility in a race that will help decide which party controls the chamber.
As MSI reported Saturday, Maine Democrats nominated Jackson at a special convention in Bangor after Platner’s campaign ended due to a sexual assault allegation. Jackson’s nomination set the stage for Harris’s endorsement two days later.