Shawn Griffiths
AUGUSTA, Maine—As calls increase for Graham Platner to withdraw from the US Senate race against incumbent Sen. Susan Collins, a name that continues to pop up as a potential replacement for him is former Maine Senate President Troy Jackson.
As of this writing, Platner has not dropped out, but most if not all of the high-profile Democrats and lawmakers who have supported him have rescinded their endorsements and pressure is mounting from Augusta to Washington, DC, for him to exit.
Under Maine law, Platner would need to formally withdraw by 5 pm EDT on July 13. The Democratic Party would then have until July 27 to name his replacement.
Regardless of what decision Platner makes or how long it takes for him to make it, Jackson has already filed paperwork to explore a Senate bid. This comes after IVN was the first to report that prediction markets were already looking at him as a top contender.
Jackson’s name is not just speculation. He has positioned himself for the possibility. But who is Troy Jackson, and why has he become a serious option in a race against Republican Sen. Susan Collins?
A Logger Who Built a Career in Trump Country
Jackson is not a conventional Maine Democrat.
The 58-year-old former logger from Allagash, located in Maine’s northern St. John Valley, began working in the woods as a teenager and helped lead a 1998 border blockade protesting the use of Canadian logging contractors, which local workers believed was driving down wages.
That experience helped shape his populist, labor-oriented political identity—and his path has had quite the independent streak.
Jackson first ran for the Maine House as a Republican in 2000, lost, then ran as an independent in 2002 and won. He joined the Democratic Party before his 2004 reelection, citing mutual support for collective bargaining rights for independent loggers and trucking contractors.
Yet, despite joining the party, Jackson has continued to win elections in territories that have become increasingly Republican. He is fondly referred to as the “Johnny Cash of the Allagash.”
He represented northern Aroostook County in the Maine House from 2002 to 2008 and in the Maine Senate from 2008 to 2014 and again from 2016 to 2024.
He served as Senate president from 2019 through the end of his final term in 2024.
Jackson's supporters say his ability to win in a region President Donald Trump carried by double digits in recent election cycles gives him a political profile few Maine Democrats can claim. He himself says many voters will support progressive candidates they believe will fight for them.
Where Does Jackson Stand Politically?
In terms of his position in the Democratic Party, Jackson is firmly on its progressive-populist wing, especially on economics. This is an added reason why so many people are floating his name to replace Platner.
He is a candidate that holds the same positions, can carry the same energy, but has decades of political seasoning (and vetting).
Jackson ran for governor in the 2026 cycle. His campaign centered on lowering prescription drug costs, expanding childcare, building affordable housing, strengthening labor protections, and curbing the political influence of private equity and large corporate interests.
He supports Medicare for All nationally and a public health insurance option in Maine.
His legislative record includes a 2018 law intended to make brand-name prescription drugs more accessible to generic manufacturers. As Senate President he sponsored a 2019 measure that created a prescription drug affordability board and pursued other drug-cost reforms.
Jackson has also championed childcare policy. During his gubernatorial campaign, it was noted that he played a major role in a 2023 overhaul that expanded subsidy eligibility and increased payments for childcare workers.
On social issues, Jackson currently supports:
- Abortion rights,
- Tribal sovereignty for the Wabanaki Nations,
- LGBTQ protections under the Maine Human Rights Act,
- Wilderness protection, and
- A path toward 100% clean energy by 2040
As Maine Senate president, Jackson authored and championed legislation that expanded ranked choice voting to presidential elections—signaling his support for nonpartisan voting reform to improve elections.
He did not win the Democratic nomination for governor. However, he came in third and was part of a three-candidate ranked choice coalition with Shenna Bellows and the winner, Hannah Pingree, who secured her win after all, but two candidates were eliminated.
Prior to his elimination, he trailed the second-place candidate, Nirav Shah, by 12,000 votes. However, part of the reason Jackson is being considered to replace Platner may have to do with the unity it would represent with Pingree at the top of the party’s ticket.
After all, the ranked choice coalition is partly credited for Pingree’s win, since all three candidates encouraged their supporters to rank the other two members.
What Sets Him Apart from Other Possible Replacements?
The most obvious distinction is that Jackson combines progressive politics with a distinctly rural, working-class background. He is a rare Democrat who could say he has garnered support in Republican-leaning regions.
Even in areas Trump won by double digits.
He is not a former statewide executive, like Gov. Janet Mills. He is not a public-health figure, like former Maine CDC director Nirav Shah. He is not best known as an election administrator, like Secretary of State Shenna Bellows.
And unlike Bellows, he has not lost to Collins already.
He has a demonstrated record of winning in territories where Democrats often struggle, while still taking progressive positions on health care, labor, abortion rights, housing, and taxes.
There is also his political resume.
As Senate president, Jackson was one of the most powerful elected officials in Augusta, leading the chamber during major fights over prescription drugs, labor rights, childcare, energy, and tribal sovereignty.
Further, Jackson replacing Platner offers the party a different path than it took in 2024, when the national party ignored calls for voter input and forums before replacing Joe Biden at the top of the presidential ticket with Kamala Harris.
He may not have run for Senate, but Jackson was still on the statewide ballot. He got votes. He was part of a popular ranked choice coalition that included the Democratic nominee for governor.
And he checks off many of the same progressive boxes as Platner.
Jackson was endorsed by US Sen. Bernie Sanders during his gubernatorial campaign and has strong ties to organized labor. He received the backing of every single union in Maine in the primary.
Who Is Making the Case for Jackson?
The clearest public endorsement of Jackson—so far—as a possible replacement for Platner has come from US Rep. Ro Khanna of California.
The Washington Post reported that Khanna, after withdrawing his support for Platner, promoted Jackson as a potential successor.
Former Maine state Sen. Bruce Bryant, a retired mill worker who served with Jackson, has also made the broader case for his political identity. Bryant told the Portland Press Herald that Jackson has spent years fighting for “the little guy” and would not be intimidated by big money.
It's not a formal Senate endorsement, but it helps explain why Jackson has an existing coalition: labor allies, progressives, rural northern Maine voters, and voters looking for someone with a blue-collar biography rather than a conventional political resume.
Whether or not Jackson replaces Platner remains to be seen.
Platner has suggested he will stay in the race unless he gets to pick his replacement and remains on the ballot. However, pressure is boiling over, and the possibility of Jackson is more than speculation.
His exploratory filing suggests he is serious about being on the Senate ballot in November.