Troy Jackson effectively wraps up Maine Democrats’ nomination to face Sen. Susan Collins

By Patrick Svitek, Ethan Cohen, CNN

(CNN) — Former Maine Senate President Troy Jackson has all but locked down the Democratic nomination for Senate in Maine after building an overwhelming lead in delegates for next weekend’s convention, prompting several of his competitors to drop out.

Jackson’s supporters won more than 460 of the 500 delegate slots that were up for grabs this weekend across Maine’s 16 counties. They will be among 601 delegates who will meet July 25 to determine the party’s next nominee for Senate after Graham Platner dropped out earlier this month.

The winner will need majority support from the convention, which also includes 101 delegates who automatically come from the Democratic State Committee. Jackson’s success in getting his backers elected delegates means the convention will likely be a formality.

Epidemiologist Nirav Shah ended his campaign Sunday evening and backed Jackson. So did former Capitol Hill staffer Jordan Wood and brewery owner Dan Kleban. Earlier in the day, another opponent, Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, also ended her bid.

“Now it’s time for all of us to come together, build the broadest possible coalition, and defeat Susan Collins,” Jackson said on X after Shah announced his withdrawal. “Let’s get to work.”

One caveat is that delegates are not legally bound to support any candidate, though the strength of Jackson’s organization so far bodes well for his ability to maintain support in the coming days.

“I think people were there for the authenticity and the fact his platform is virtually the same as Platner’s,” said Ellen Booraem, a writer from the town of Brooklin who was elected as a delegate.

Booraem said she applied to be a delegate early last week, and while she did not hear directly from Jackson’s campaign, it made sense to her when her name showed up Friday on his delegate slate for Hancock County. She had been clear in her delegate candidate statement to the Maine Democratic Party, writing, “I want to be a delegate supporting Troy Jackson, who I think has the best chance of beating Susan Collins.”

Platner dropped out the race on July 10 amid a series of scandals that culminated in a rape allegation that he denies. While Jackson was among those who called on Platner to end his bid, Jackson previously campaigned alongside Platner and presented himself as the candidate best positioned to continue his progressive political movement.

Jackson has a more understated style than Platner, who thrilled crowds across Maine with his gravelly voiced denunciations of the rich and powerful. But Jackson tied himself closely to Platner in an unsuccessful bid for governor earlier this year and has directly appealed to Platner’s former supporters.

“The movement that you’ve built can win,” Jackson told former Platner supporters when he launched his campaign for the nomination.

In Cumberland, the state’s largest county and home to Portland, voters could vote for up to 179 of roughly 1,300 prospective delegates. The top 149 vote-getters who qualified for delegate slots all appeared on Jackson’s slate.

Jackson originally ran for governor in the June primary, placing third in the first round of voting. Two other former gubernatorial candidates, Shah and Bellows, were also seeking to win the Senate nomination at the convention before ending their bids.

Like Platner, Jackson had the support of Sen. Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent, in his last race and ran on a platform aimed at working-class progressives. Jackson supports the universal healthcare program known as “Medicare for All,” raising taxes on billionaires, and abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement. He also opposes military aid to Israel at a time when Democrats are sharply divided on the US’ relationship with the country.

Jackson has been involved in Maine politics for over two decades. Most of that time was in the state Senate, where he was president from 2018 to 2024.

It remains to be seen how Jackson would make the case against Collins compared with Platner. Like Platner, Jackson has criticized Collins as part of a group of elitists that has overlooked working-class Mainers.

All the candidates for the nomination have spent recent days criticizing Collins as too supportive of ICE after one of its agents shot and killed a man in Biddeford, a coastal Maine town. Jackson said at a debate Thursday that Collins “should have been able to stop ICE” as head of the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee.

Jackson’s allies believe he triumphed in the delegate chase due to the strength of his campaign’s organization, which was bolstered by a close relationship with labor unions and his ability to tap into the enthusiasm of Platner’s former supporters.

Jackson was the first major candidate for the nomination to release slates of delegates that his supporters could vote for in all 16 counties. His campaign offered printable slate cards to supporters and was explicit with them, instructing them to “VOTE FOR EVERY NAME ON THE TROY JACKSON DELEGATE SLATE AND NO OTHER NAMES.”

This story and headline have been updated with additional developments.

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CNN’s Molly English contributed to this report.