Maine Democrats, in a move that suggests they've decided unity is more important than a primary fight, have largely coalesced around Troy Jackson to replace Graham Platner as their Senate candidate. Platner suspended his campaign earlier this month after a woman accused him of sexual assault - an allegation he denies - leaving the party scrambling to find someone to take on longtime Republican Senator Susan Collins.

Shenna Bellows, Maine's secretary of state, withdrew from the race yesterday morning, declaring that Democrats didn't have “a day to waste in unifying” against Collins. Nirav Shah, former director of Maine's CDC, also dropped out and endorsed Jackson, a 58-year-old fifth-generation logger from northern Maine. Dan Kleban, co-founder of Maine Beer Company, and Jordan Wood, a progressive and former chief of staff to ex-Representative Katie Porter, followed suit, both endorsing Jackson.

Jackson, who served in the state legislature from 2002 and became president of the Maine Senate before term limits forced him out in 2024, previously ran unsuccessfully for governor earlier this year with Platner's backing. Now, he appears poised to be the nominee: over two-thirds of the 601 delegates have committed to voting for him at the July 25 nominating convention in Bangor, according to POLITICO. Maine is considered a must-win for Democrats hoping to retake the Senate, so no pressure.