Maine Democrats needed a replacement Senate nominee in under three weeks, and labor unions basically speedran the whole process to hand Troy Jackson a coronation. The former state Senate president swept weekend county meetings for delegates, prompting Shenna Bellows and Nirav Shah to bow out before the Bangor convention even happens. His target is five-term Republican Susan Collins.
And the seat opened up because Graham Platner's campaign imploded spectacularly. The oyster farmer turned progressive icon survived a Nazi-adjacent tattoo scandal and threatening behavior allegations, but a rape accusation from a second ex-girlfriend vaporized his support overnight. Jackson, who placed third in a governor's race and has openly trash-talked major party donors, is the ideological heir to that wreckage.
What sealed it was pure machine muscle. The Maine AFL-CIO drew on about 300 door-knockers fresh off Jackson's primary run to elect delegate slates across counties. One Portland teacher backing Bellows said she had to vote on 173 names with zero time to research any of them, calling the whole setup fundamentally broken.
And the seat opened up because Graham Platner's campaign imploded spectacularly. The oyster farmer turned progressive icon survived a Nazi-adjacent tattoo scandal and threatening behavior allegations, but a rape accusation from a second ex-girlfriend vaporized his support overnight. Jackson, who placed third in a governor's race and has openly trash-talked major party donors, is the ideological heir to that wreckage.
What sealed it was pure machine muscle. The Maine AFL-CIO drew on about 300 door-knockers fresh off Jackson's primary run to elect delegate slates across counties. One Portland teacher backing Bellows said she had to vote on 173 names with zero time to research any of them, calling the whole setup fundamentally broken.
