News

Troy Jackson, former Maine Senate president, chosen as Democratic nominee for US Senate

Troy Jackson, former Maine Senate president, chosen as Democratic nominee for US Senate

Photo: 560 WGAN Newsradio


Bangor, ME — Former Maine Senate President Troy Jackson has officially secured the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate.

Jackson clinched the party’s nomination Saturday morning during a special Democratic nominating convention at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor, receiving 566 of the 601 delegate votes cast.

“This is the absolute honor of my life,” Jackson told attendees following the vote. “We are not from the left. We are not from the right. We’re from the bottom, and we are rising.”

How We Got Here

The emergency convention was triggered earlier this month after the original primary winner, Graham Platner, withdrew his candidacy amid personal allegations.

With the state’s July 27 deadline looming to place a candidate on the general election ballot, party leaders organized county delegate selections to choose a replacement. Jackson—a fifth-generation logger from Allagash and veteran state legislator—quickly emerged as the frontrunner, prompting most of his primary rivals to drop out and endorse him prior to Saturday’s vote.

The Road to November

Jackson now pivots directly to the general election, where he will challenge five-term Republican incumbent Sen. Susan Collins. The seat is expected to be one of the most high-profile and closely watched U.S. Senate contests in the nation this fall.

Stay tuned to NewsRadio WGAN on-air and online for continuing coverage of Maine’s 2026 election cycle.

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