With Graham Platner facing mounting pressure to end his Senate campaign after rape allegations surfaced Monday, longtime Maine Democrat Troy Jackson filed paperwork Tuesday positioning himself to enter the U.S.Senate race should the Democratic nomination become available.Prominent Democratic leaders, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., have withdrawn their support for Platner and urged him to end his campaign.
Platner has denied the allegations as "categorically false" and has remained in the race.Under Maine law, Platner has until Monday, July 13, 2026, to withdraw if Democrats hope to replace him on the November ballot.If he steps aside before the deadline, the state Democratic Party will have until July 27, 2026, to choose a new nominee.Jackson, who lost the Democratic gubernatorial primary just weeks ago, signaled his interest in the Senate race by filing a Statement of Candidacy with the Federal Election Commission.
He later took to social media to condemn the allegations against Platner while emphasizing that he has not yet decided whether to seek the nomination.PLATNER CAMPAIGN PUTTING 'THUMB ON SCALE' TO INFLUENCE POSSIBLE REPLACEMENT, MAINE DEM ALLEGESFormer State Senator Troy Jackson, a Democrat from Maine and gubernatorial candidate, speaks during a Fighting Oligarchy event with Graham Platner (Sophie Park / Bloomberg via Getty Images)"While I haven't made any final decisions yet, I'm deeply humbled by the outpouring of support and encouragement I've received," Jackson wrote."I'm currently weighing the best path forward to support our progressive movement and the working class political revolution Mainers are fighting for."Jackson and Platner ran closely aligned progressive campaigns and appeared together at campaign events throughout the 2026 election cycle.
Both embraced a progressive platform and earned the backing of Sen.Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.KINGMAKER MAMDANI CALLS ON PLATNER TO 'DROP OUT OF THE RACE' AFTER RAPE ALLEGATIONDemoc...