Story perspectives

Troy Jackson wins Maine Senate nod, polls ahead of Collins

7/26/2026

Summary

Jackson Wins Nomination

Troy Jackson, former Maine Senate President, won the U.S. Senate nomination on July 25, 2026.
He secured 566 of 600 delegate votes after Graham Platner withdrew on July 10 amid sexual-assault allegations.
Jackson’s campaign raised $1 million, including $600,000 from nearly 25,000 donors between Sunday and Wednesday.
A University of New Hampshire poll gave Jackson a narrow lead over Sen. Susan Collins.
Collins holds an $11 million war chest and supports $70 billion in immigration-enforcement funding.

Summary

Jackson Calms Protesters

At the 2024 Maine Democratic Convention, Jackson tried to calm pro-Palestinian protesters who called Rep. Jared Golden a “war criminal.”
Our Revolution and the Maine Democratic Socialists of America endorsed Jackson, praising his labeling of the Gaza conflict as genocide.
Beth Israel president Brian Kresge and Rabbi Bill Siemers said Jackson’s recent Israel rhetoric appears driven by a “pick-me” appeal rather than a long-standing conviction.

History

Historical Context

In 1972, Edmund Muskie won Maine’s Senate seat, breaking a long Republican hold and showing the power of convention-driven primaries. The pattern continued when George J. Mitchell, appointed after Muskie’s 1980 resignation, won a full term in 1982 by a 99,937-vote margin. Troy Jackson’s 2026 nomination by delegates echoes that long-standing Maine tradition.

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Jackson Wins Nomination

Troy Jackson, former Maine Senate President, won the U.S. Senate nomination on July 25, 2026.
He secured 566 of 600 delegate votes after Graham Platner withdrew on July 10 amid sexual-assault allegations.
Jackson’s campaign raised $1 million, including $600,000 from nearly 25,000 donors between Sunday and Wednesday.
A University of New Hampshire poll gave Jackson a narrow lead over Sen. Susan Collins.
Collins holds an $11 million war chest and supports $70 billion in immigration-enforcement funding.

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