Former Maine state senator announces campaign after Platner suspension

[DrFunkenstein]

Source: The Hill

Former Maine state Sen. Troy Jackson (D) on Wednesday announced his campaign to run against Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), not long after Democratic Senate nominee Graham Platner dropped out of the race amid a slew of scandals.

“There is a powerful movement of working class people in the state of Maine, and millions more across America who are ready to send a progressive fighter to the Senate,” Jackson wrote on the social platform X. “I’ve been fighting for that movement my whole life — and I’m sure as hell not backing down now, when this fight is needed most.”
...
Jackson also shared an ActBlue donation link in a second post, writing, “Flipping this seat has to be our #1 priority every single day between now and November. If you’re with me, I need you to step up today.”

His name was already floated among the list of other state lawmakers who could potentially replace Platner on the ballot. He previously ran for governor in the Pine Tree State but lost during the state’s primary last month.

Read more: https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/5960448-troy-jackson-maine-senate-race-platner-withdrawal/

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Bernie Sanders' organization, Our Revolution, is putting its support behind Jackson. Sanders previously endorsed Jackson during his gubernatorial run last year.

"As far as influencing the process and making the case, the most approximate thing we can point to as a proxy to an election is the last one that just happened. We just did have an election, and yes, personality matters, but so does platform. The platform that won is Graham Platner’s platform.”

[Easterncedar]

1. He has been President of the Senate

Always very pro-union. Not a great speaker, but a known quantity.

[moonbeam23]

20. Sorry to disagree

we NEED a great speaker. Replacing Platner with mr no charisma is not the flex you might think.

[Easterncedar]

21. Sorry. I was stating a fact, not advocating

Your "not the flex you think it is" is unnecessarily pugnacious. Please try to work from a more comradely set of assumptions.

[Fiendish Thingy]

2. Waiting to hear from the state Dem party on how they will select a new nominee.

They have to move fast, yet tread carefully.

[pat_k]

5. Hope this report of state caucuses or pop-up convention from 7/6 are accurate

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/06/us/politics/who-would-replace-graham-platner-maine.html?unlocked_article_code=1.v1A.iM4y.eQFzT3W_7ioS&smid=url-share

Top Maine Democratic Party officials have discussed possible plans to replace Mr. Platner on the ballot, with options including a pop-up convention on the weekend of July 25 to choose a nominee, or holding a statewide caucus to effectively redo the party’s primary election, according to two people who have talked with the officials and spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal party conversations.

Officials have ruled out having the state party’s committee, which includes about 100 members, choose the nominee, the people said.

[Fiendish Thingy]

6. I'm guessing that's the likely course of action

Time’s awastin’

[Jacson6]

3. UGH! What a mess!

[QueerDuck]

4. Simple as that? Just like that? He declares he's "in" and with Bernie's and Our Revolution's backing...

... he's our new guy? Or does the state party have anything to say? Bernie is not the state party. Our Revolution is not the state party. This kind of haste caused a lot of trouble last time, so even though time is precious, let's not jump the gun.

[Fiendish Thingy]

7. He's declared he's *running* to be the new nominee

Not that he is the new nominee.

[DrFunkenstein]

8. The Proverbial Tossing of A Hat Into The Ring

What's most newsworthy for me is that we have options that don't necessarily involve holding our noses. From what I've read, this guy is a real progressive.

[QueerDuck]

9. The first paragraph in the article is a bit ambiguous on that point...

Former Maine state Sen. Troy Jackson (D) on Wednesday announced his campaign to run against Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), not long after Democratic Senate nominee Graham Platner dropped out of the race amid a slew of scandals.

It says that he announced his "campaign to run against Se. Susan Collins" ... not "to run to be the Democratic nominee". Sure, I quibble, but accuracy and clarity still mean something to me. At first glance it looks like The Hill is skipping beyond the duties of the party and just anointing him.

[thesquanderer]

23. He IS campaigning to run against Collins. That's the goal.

And he will presumably be competing against others who will be campaigning to do the same. And one of them will get the nomination.

[QueerDuck]

24. The goal should be to find someone who can best compete against Collins rather than...

... trying to please the 15% of the state that voted for Platner in the primary. I do not believe that a Bernie-endorse or Our Revolution endorsed candidate is something that equals a statewide winner. Our Democratic nominee needs to appeal to MORE people than the 15% of the electorate who voted for Platner.

It's a pity that the Hill opted for brevity and ambiguity rather than clarity and accuracy. But... that doesn't change the reality... it just muddles and confuses things.

You're right "one of them will get the nomination".

[thesquanderer]

28. When I said "that's the goal" I meant that's the goal for ANYONE who is campaigning to be the nominee.

And I don't find the sentence in question inaccurate. He is not running against Collins, but he is indeed campaigning to run against Collins. IOW, campaigning for the opportunity. The sentence, as written, is literally correct.

Just as in 2020, we had a slew of people (Biden, Sanders, Warren, Buttigieg, etc.) all campaigning to run against Trump, who was already the defacto Republican nominee. Saying so would not in any way be inaccurate. And just as these people had various endorsements, there's nothing wrong with any Maine candidate getting endorsements.

[QueerDuck]

29. Ahh. Okay.

[lapucelle]

10. Troy Jackson might have some baggage.

https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2026/07/08/congress/jackson-deletes-platner-posts-00990690

[Raven123]

15. What's the baggage?

[lapucelle]

16. Jackson was a big Platner supporter. They co-endorsed each other and campaigned together. N/T

[Raven123]

22. Platner got a lot of endorsements.

I guess time will tell if that turns out to be significant baggage.

[Easterncedar]

26. That can't count as baggage

On the contrary, I imagine, it might help him capture some of the folks disappointed to lose Platner's populist agenda.

[QueerDuck]

30. If it can't count as baggage... why delete it?

He's scrubbing and sanitizing his feed... why? Guilt by association? Is it an indication of poor judgement and "bandwagon-hopping" without giving the matter much thought?

Revisionist History? Trying to pretend an alliance or endorsement never happened. Distance and Disavowal? Rapidly moving away from a sinking political ship.

It's the ultimate survival tactic... however... the Internet is forever... and this behavior makes them look exactly like they are trying to hide something!

[QueerDuck]

32. The internet is forever. This cannot be hidden or scrubbed.

[FakeNoose]

11. Here is his Wiki ...

Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troy_Jackson_(politician)

Link to campaign website: https://jacksonformaine.com/

(Not much there now, but I'm sure this website will grow.)

[Chasstev365]

12. OK Mainers: who would be the best Democratic candidate with few to no skeletons and wide appeal?

[Wiz Imp]

13. My concern about Jackson is he got creamed in his campaign for Governor.

Maine voters had a chance to vote for him (for Governor) in the primary and he got only 21% of the vote.

[moonbeam23]

19. That's because he is totally uninspiring

[DrFunkenstein]

27. This Is Completely Disingenuous (nice way of saying BS)

I took you at your word, but when I went to the Wikipedia page it turns out that you were citing the first round of ranked choice. He got 21.1%, but Hannah Pingree got 23.3% and Nirav Shah got 26.8%. He was only eliminated in the final round after 3 highly competitive rounds, but you make it seem like he was on the wrong side of a landslide.

Jackson was not "creamed" and you are either speaking without understanding, or outright making ship up. Neither is a good look.

[Wiz Imp]

33. Sorry, but it's not BS. Getting 21% of the vote is getting creamed.

People don't win elections with 21% of the vote. After the ranked choice votes, he got all the way up to 29%. Wow! People don't win with 29% of the vote either. We need someone who can get over 50% of the votes. In his case, 79% percent of the voters preferred someone else so he obviously didn't appeal to many voters. I'm skeptical such a person could get anywhere close to 50% let alone over 50%. Bye!

[Dr. T]

14. Bernie is awesome. I often describe my political stance

as slightly to the left of Bernie. Having said that, he has a lousy track record of endorsements.

[FakeNoose]

18. All Bernie had to do was kiss and make-up with Hillary

If only he had given her the endorsement she deserved, we'd be living in a different country now.
Probably a different world.

[moonbeam23]

17. He has the charisma

of a dishrag! TERRIBLE CHOICE. Only through pure luck wads he ever elected to anything. He was republican anti choice before he converted. His positions now are fine or my man Bernie wouldn't endorse him , i hope.

David Costello has a much more impressive and varied background, is also a born Mainer, and seems to have more personality.

IMHO

[Easterncedar]

25. Yes. I voted for Costello in the ranked choice

Maybe Troy is too well known? And he is a seriously weak orator.

[DrFunkenstein]

31. I Leave It To The Folks Of Maine, But Judging By YouTube Clips

it seems hard to claim Costello has tons of personality. But his ideas seem fundamentally sound. I just want to see some fighters on our side of the aisle about policies that matter. And most important, of course, is defeating Susan Collins!

As far as being anti-choice 15 years ago, it doesn't bother me that people evolve. Bernie has had some suspect votes for gun control over the years, for example, but he's a standard bearer for the progressive movement. His endorsement carries a lot of weight in my household - we still have our Bernie sign in the window from 10 years ago (now it's accompanied by our Mamdani sign).