Heather Nelson, a liberal Democrat from Thomaston, supported Graham Platner’s campaign for U.S. Senate, believing he could defeat incumbent Sen. Susan Collins, who was criticized for her alignment with President Trump, including her vote to confirm Supreme Court justice Brett Kavanaugh.

Platner’s Campaign Collapse

Platner’s campaign imploded in controversy, including an allegation of rape that he denies. After the controversy, Nelson said she could no longer support him. The state Democratic Party quickly set out to pick a new candidate.

Last weekend, delegates had rallied around Troy Jackson, a former president of the state senate and fifth-generation logger from northern Maine. This weekend, delegates are expected to formally nominate Jackson, 58, to challenge Collins, 73, in a key race that could determine control of the Senate.

Challenges for Jackson

Nelson said she’ll support Jackson, but the turn of events makes her feel her vote doesn’t matter. “The whole part of democracy is our votes count,” Nelson said. Instead, there’s suddenly a new candidate who “doesn’t have the same enthusiasm because he’s not the person that we’d been following for months.”

In a text, Heather’s husband, Colin Nelson, wrote, “This is not an election; this is 600 delegates selecting a candidate for more than 300,000 Democrats.” Jackson faces several significant challenges: Launch a Senate campaign in a compressed time frame; catch up with Collins’ huge money advantage; and sustain the enthusiasm that Platner had built among the party’s base.

Jackson, like Platner, is a progressive Democrat. In his unsuccessful run for governor this year (he finished third in the primary), Jackson frequently campaigned with Platner. He also earned the endorsement of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.

However, the two differ in a number of ways. While Platner, an oyster farmer, was a political newcomer, Jackson is no stranger to Maine politics. Nor is he a stranger to winning in a conservative part of the state. He was elected as a state representative in 2002, then as a state senator for 14 years, including six years as senate president.

Political Evolution and Challenges

Jackson lacks the charisma that propelled Platner’s campaign before his problems emerged. And while Platner adopted the language of working class Mainers, Jackson is authentically working class. “We’re going to remind the Democratic Party that this is the party of the working class and you better damn well stand up and fight for it,” Jackson said at a rally this spring in Orono.

Jackson has been criticized for changing his political stripes over the years. He touts progressive positions now, but entered politics as a conservative Republican who opposed abortion rights and same-sex marriage. During this year’s run for governor, a political PAC ran an ad casting him as out of step with progressive values.

“Mainers just can’t trust Troy Jackson on abortion,” claimed the ad sponsored by 314 Action Victory Fund, which also said Jackson had previously “earned a 100% rating from Maine Right to Life.” Jackson has said his earlier anti-abortion position came out of his Catholic upbringing, but his position has evolved and he now supports abortion rights as part of essential healthcare for women.

The issue could complicate his campaign against Collins as he tries to hold together Platner’s coalition of progressive Democrats and liberal-leaning unenrolled voters. On the other hand, Jackson will benefit from Trump’s low approval ratings and the fact that Maine is a blue state, where voters like David White of Owl’s Head remain highly motivated.

White, who was a Platner supporter, said the priority is to beat Collins and that he’ll happily vote for Jackson. “If the Democrats were running a golden retriever against Collins, I’d vote for the golden retriever,” White said.

Maine voter David White said, “If the Democrats were running a golden retriever against Collins, I’d vote for the golden retriever.”

As the race stands now, Democrats are better off with Jackson, according to Dan Shea, a professor of government at Colby College. “The Collins campaign would have pounded the Platner negatives throughout the summer and fall,” Shea said. “That’s off the table, the playbook has changed, and I think that’s to the Democrats’ advantage.”

But Collins brings a number of strengths to the race, according to Shea. After 30 years in the Senate, she’s well known across the state. As chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, she’s brought a lot of money home to Maine. And while lots of voters want change, incumbency is also an advantage.

“Maine does not tend to throw out incumbent, state-wide candidates. It’s very rare,” Shea said. “It hasn’t happened in fifty years.” This was always going to be a close race, no matter what, according to Shea. That hasn’t changed, even if the candidates have.

This segment aired on July 24, 2026.