Delegates across Maine gathered over the past week to nominate a Democratic candidate to replace Graham Platner in the state’s Senate race.
Platner decided to suspend his campaign this month after allegations of sexual assault surfaced against him and after many prominent Democratic leaders rescinded their endorsements.
Troy Jackson, who previously served as president of Maine’s Senate, won an overwhelming majority of delegates in the caucuses. Afterwards, each of Jackson’s major opponents withdrew and many endorsed his campaign.
The state Democratic party has until July 27 to officially select a nominee to replace Platner, who denies wrongdoing, in the race against Republican incumbent Susan Collins.
The race is one of the most closely watched Senate races in the country as Democrats seek to unseat Collins and retake the majority in the upper chamber.
In interviews with The Washington Post, several people who have previously worked with Jackson said that he had a strong temper when serving in the state Senate.
Who is Troy Jackson?
Jackson, a native of Maine, began his career as a logger. In 1998, Jackson became involved in a logger blockade at the U.S.-Canadian border to protest policies of the U.S. Department of Labor over the hiring of Canadian workers instead of those from Maine.
Two years later, Jackson ran as a Republican for a seat in Maine’s House of Representatives. After losing, Jackson again ran two years later and won as an independent.
In 2004, Jackson joined the Democratic Party and later ran and was elected to a seat in Maine’s Senate. Jackson served as the state Senate president from 2018 until 2024 when he left office due to Maine’s term limits.
In 2025, Jackson announced he would run for governor of Maine. Jackson lost the Democratic primary, finishing third in the race.
Controversy over reports of past anger
Reports surfaced after the caucus that Jackson had previously verbally berated Rachel Talbot Ross, the state’s former House speaker.
A top Democrat told the Washington Post that working with Maine’s Legislature was “difficult because none of them would even speak to each other … we had these great majorities, but it was inept.”
Other allegations of Jackson’s heated exchanges have surfaced as well. According to another allegation, Jackson participated in a heated encounter with Sen. Heather Sanborn and allegedly threw a water bottle at one point in the argument.
Of this exchange, one of Jackson’s former legislative colleagues also told the Post that Jackson “was an inch from her nose, screaming and hollering and haranguing her.”
The day following the water bottle incident, Jackson reportedly apologized to the chamber. His campaign acknowledged the outbursts, but disputed some of the details.