Former Maine Senate President Troy Jackson is turning his focus to a general election battle against Republican incumbent Susan Collins after a rapid consolidation of Democratic support made him the party's likely Senate nominee. Jackson is expected to formally secure the nomination Saturday at the state party convention in Bangor, having locked up an overwhelming majority of delegates after his main rivals dropped out.
The turnaround, coming on the heels of a failed gubernatorial bid, underscores the power of Jackson's grassroots operation. Former Maine Democratic Party Vice Chair Peggy Schaffer said Jackson's team mobilized effectively. "He mobilized his supporters," Schaffer said. "He had a lot of grassroots support. He figured out who they were, his team, and he called them. They talked to them. They made lists. They understood the process clearly."
Jackson entered the race after former Democratic nominee Graham Platner stepped down amid sexual misconduct and assault allegations. To formally secure the nomination, Jackson needs a majority of the roughly 600 delegates gathering in Bangor this weekend. But after his allies dominated county caucuses, the convention is widely seen as a formality. Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows and former CDC Director Nirav Shah both dropped out Sunday, urging party unity to defeat Collins. Only little-known candidates remain in the field. Bellows' exit cleared a key hurdle for Jackson.
Democratic strategist David Farmer, who tried unsuccessfully to become an unaffiliated delegate, said he was impressed by the strength of Jackson's operation. "My very first impression is, 'Wow,'" he said. "Troy did just a tremendous job in a very short amount of time of organizing and electing convention delegates. Just really demonstrated his labor background and the power of people-to-people organizing."
Jackson's strong union ties proved critical. He secured endorsements from major labor groups including the AFL-CIO and United Auto Workers, which had previously backed Platner. Farmer noted labor's effectiveness at grassroots organizing. "Labor is really good at the phone calls and the door knocking and the one-on-one conversations, and that's what this took," Farmer said.
Jackson, Bellows, and Shah were all seen as frontrunners after the state party set a process to replace Platner. Each had run for governor this year but lost to former state Rep. Hannah Pingree. Jackson leveraged his gubernatorial campaign infrastructure better than the others, Farmer said, effectively sealing the nomination. However, questions remain about whether Jackson can match Platner's ability to galvanize Democratic support. Some party members argue that Jackson's policy positions align closely with Platner's, and he has picked up key surrogates like Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.). "Everybody keeps saying it wasn't the candidate, it was what he was putting forward, and Troy has been pushing that stuff forward for 20 years," Schaffer said.
Democrats are more optimistic than they have been in weeks about flipping the seat, but Collins has a history of overcoming challenges. She benefits from high name recognition and a significant financial advantage, with just over 100 days until Election Day. "He's got to start from essentially close to nothing and raise a lot of money in a very short period of time," Schaffer said. "I think for me, that's his biggest challenge." Colby College professor Dan Shea downplayed the money gap, noting Maine's small media market limits spending needs. "There's only so much money that's needed to run a race in Maine," Shea said. "He'll have enough money, and 100 days is not a problem. A lot of Mainers are relaxing, spending their summer at the lake or on the beach. They're not really thinking about politics per se. It'll take off after Labor Day, and it'll be fast and furious."
