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Platner energized Maine's Democrats. Jackson's challenge will be to keep them engaged

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− Jackson's challenge will be to keep them engaged Democrats have a new candidate for U.S.

+ Jackson's challenge is to keep them engaged Democrats have a new candidate for U.S.

Senate in Maine: Troy Jackson. In one of the country's most closely-watched races, he'll have less than 100 days to make his case. Politics Platner energized Maine's Democrats.

− Jackson's challenge will be to keep them engaged July 27, 20265:29 PM ET Heard on All Things Considered Elena Moore Platner energized Maine’s Democrats.

+ Jackson's challenge is to keep them engaged Updated July 28, 20266:00 PM ET Originally published July 27, 20265:29 PM ET Heard on All Things Considered Elena Moore Troy Jackson takes the stage at Maine Democrats' nominating convention in Bangor on July 25.

− Jackson's challenge will be to keep them engaged Listen · 3:47 3:47 Transcript Toggle more options Download Embed Embed "> <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/nx-s1-5902276/nx-s1-9865069" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript Democrats have a new candidate for U.S.

+ Ashley L.

− Senate in Maine: Troy Jackson.

+ Conti for NPR hide caption BANGOR, Maine — It didn't take long after Graham Platner announced his run for U.S.

− In one of the country's most closely-watched races, he'll have less than 100 days to make his case.

+ Senate last summer before Dustin Cyr started seeing signs pop up everywhere. "Even in areas of the state that would be more conservative, I think they were rooting for a hometown guy," he said. Cyr lives in Bangor, a Democratic-leaning city, but travels for work into more central areas of the state that voted for President Trump. "[Platner] seemed to be coming from a place of the average person trying to make change," said Cyr. Politics Democrats in Maine formally nominate Troy Jackson as their new U.S.

− Sponsor Message Transcript JUANA SUMMERS, HOST: Democrats in Maine have a new candidate for Senate.

+ Senate candidate Today, the Maine Senate race looks radically different.

− His name is Troy Jackson.

+ Platner ended his high-profile bid earlier this month after being accused of rape by a woman he previously dated.

− Jackson will square off this fall against longtime Republican incumbent Susan Collins in just one of a handful of races that could decide which party wins the majority. NPR's Elena Moore reports on what this moment in Maine says about the state of the Democratic Party with election day less than a hundred days out.

+ He denied the allegation.

− ELENA MOORE, BYLINE: It's a sunny day in Augusta, Maine, and Nancy Marshall stands at the corner of a busy intersection.

+ Platner's exit left his supporters, like Cyr, who were drawn to his anti-establishment, populist message, wondering what's next.

− (SOUNDBITE OF CAR HORN BEEPING) NANCY MARSHALL: It's interesting.

+ "It seemed like a good opportunity, and then it just crashed and burned," he said. Troy Jackson faces the challenge of energizing a group of voters who feel stung by the implosion of the Platner campaign.

− It's a Mainer who's honking at somebody from out of state, unfortunately.

+ Above, American flags on a table at a Platner campaign event on June 9.

− It's like, no, we should be welcoming those people. MOORE: She's lived in Maine since she was a teenager, saying it's her forever home.

+ CJ Gunther/Getty Images hide caption With less than 100 days until Election Day, Maine Democrats have a new candidate in former state Senate President Troy Jackson.

− She says these last few weeks have been hard for her state.

+ The fifth-generation logger and progressive ally of Vermont Sen.

− Earlier this month, the Democrats' original nominee, Graham Platner, suspended his campaign after a woman he once dated accused him of rape.

+ Bernie Sanders will face off against incumbent Republican Sen.

− Platner has denied the allegation.

+ Susan Collins this fall in one of the most politically consequential races of the midterms.

− MARSHALL: In my mind, that isn't the way democracy should be.

+ The stakes are high.

− It shouldn't hurt so many people. MOORE: The Platner allegation sent shockwaves throughout Maine.

+ Democrats need to net four seats to retake a majority in the Senate next year.

− And though Marshall says she's not sure who to vote for this November, a lot of folks had already made up their minds before Platner dropped out, especially a lot of Democrats who had grown disappointed with party leaders in Washington and were fired up by Platner's antiestablishment populist message. Lynn Heasley of Belfast, Maine, was one of those supporters.

+ Many party officials see flipping Maine's seat as a key to the effort, as Collins is the only GOP senator up for reelection who represents a state that Kamala Harris carried in 2024.

− LYNN HEASLEY: I feel like candidates that are more progressive have a difficult time succeeding and don't get the backing from the Democratic leadership that they should, because those are the people that are going to win.

+ Jackson doesn't have much time to convince Maine voters to give him a shot.

− Those are the people that speak to the people, and I think the Democratic Party's forgotten that.

+ And at a moment when he needs to rally the state's Democratic base, he faces the challenge of energizing a group of voters who feel stung by the implosion of the Platner campaign, which had already grown tired of longtime Democratic leaders.

− MOORE: Heasley's views echo the frustration of many voters on the political left, and some question whether Jackson has the same ability to message on the issues most important to progressives who are hungry for change within their party.

+ "I feel like candidates that are more progressive have a difficult time succeeding and don't get the backing from the Democratic leadership that they should," said voter Lynn Heasley, of Belfast, Maine.

− It's a concern that Jackson tried to address in Bangor this weekend after winning the party nomination. (SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING) TROY JACKSON: I know that there's differences.

+ "Those are the people that are going to win.

− I mean, you know, I'm not a show horse.

+ Those are the people that speak to the people.

− I'm a workhorse, and I have a record to back that up.

+ And I think the Democratic Party … has forgotten that." Elections With just a few primary elections to go, the competitive Senate map keeps shifting Heasley, who volunteered for Platner's campaign, says she plans to vote for Jackson, but admits he's a different type of messenger.

− MOORE: He supports a lot of the same issues Platner ran on, like Medicare for all and boosting unions and workers' rights.

+ "He's not this charismatic — you know — he's not this great speaker," she said.

− If elected, he also says he wouldn't support New York Senator Chuck Schumer as Democratic majority leader.

+ "His heart is in the right place.

− Plus, he's touting his blue-collar roots as a fifth-generation logger from rural northern Maine, something he says voters can connect to.

+ And I feel that he will hold true to what he's saying he wants to do.

− Lincoln Tiner is one of the delegates who voted for Jackson. LINCOLN TINER: You know, we need someone like Troy representing us because he gets us. MOORE: He doesn't trust establishment Democrats, but Jackson? TINER: Oh, I definitely trust him.

+ I mean, to try." Whether Jackson can capture and build on the energy Platner garnered is an open question.

− I think it's just, like, the politicians with a capital P that are still up at the top, they're not those sorts of folks.

+ It's a concern he tried to address in Bangor this past weekend after winning his party nomination.

− MOORE: High costs are top of mind for voters around the country, and many say they're unhappy with the current political system.

+ "There are people that are still very frustrated, you know, angry about what happened.

− Back in Augusta, at a local coffee shop, Sam Wiswell says he's looking for a Democratic candidate who can actually make Maine more affordable.

+ And I understand that," he told reporters, saying he knows there are differences between him and Platner.

− SAM WISWELL: Just giving Maine back to Mainers.

+ Jackson greets people during a gathering after being selected by the Maine Democratic Party to be their nominee for U.S.

− I've definitely watched it change. MOORE: The state is nicknamed Vacationland.

+ Senate.

− And though Wiswell says out-of-towners are welcome, it's driven up prices.

+ Joe Raedle/Getty Images hide caption "I'm not a show horse.

− An example - the house he grew up in.

+ I'm a workhorse.

− All the others around it have become second homes, empty for parts of the year.

+ And I have a record to back that up," he added, emphasizing his support for key populist issues Platner also ran on — from Medicare for All and bolstering workers' rights, to raising taxes on corporations and the billionaire class.

− WISWELL: We bought the land for 37,000.

+ He also carries Platner's anti-establishment message.

− Now it's - a little tiny house I grew up on - it's now almost a million dollars.

+ If elected, he's pledged not to support New York Sen.

− And it's just how expensive things have gotten for housing.

+ Chuck Schumer as Democratic majority leader, in line with other leftist candidates this cycle who have chosen to publicly break with the Congressional leaders.

− MOORE: He says now, when he talks to friends on both sides of the political spectrum, folks are really just looking for someone who actually wants change and to change Maine.

+ That focus resonates with voters who see party leaders as unwilling to back more ambitious economic policies and scrap longtime political norms.

− Elena Moore, NPR News, Bangor, Maine.

+ Many of these voters have called for an end to U.S. military aid to Israel and rejecting donations from corporate PACs and special interest groups.

+ "I think if the Democratic Party wants to remain a party, they need to accept the fact that we're moving towards a more progressive platform and that we don't want centrists," said Lincoln Tiner, a delegate who backed Jackson at the convention on Saturday.

+ "We don't want people who capitulate, and we don't want folks who are bought and sold by PAC money, especially AIPAC," referring to the pro-Israel lobbying group. A Jackson supporter drives through Bangor.

− Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information.

+ Ashley L.

− Accuracy and availability of NPR transcripts may vary.

+ Conti for NPR hide caption "We need someone like Troy representing us because he gets us," he said. "I definitely trust him," he added.

− Transcript text may be revised to correct errors or match updates to audio.

+ "I don't trust the regular Democratic establishment of the Democratic Party to do right by the people." But if Jackson wants to oust Collins in November, he will need to energize the base while not alienating independents and moderates.

− Audio on npr.org may be edited after its original broadcast or publication.

+ With affordability top of mind for many voters, the race could come down to the candidate voters see as having a better message on costs. Over in the state's capital of Augusta, at a local coffee shop, Sam Wiswell says he's looking for a Democratic candidate who can actually make Maine more affordable. Sen.

− The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

+ Susan Collins, R-Maine speaks on Capitol on June 2, 2026.

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+ Collins is the only GOP senator up for reelection who represents a state that Kamala Harris carried in 2024. Kent Nishimura/AFP via Getty Images hide caption "Just giving Maine back to Mainers, I've definitely watched it change," said Wiswell, who calls himself an independent who usually votes left, and says he doesn't like "pretty much any politicians on both sides." The state is nicknamed "Vacationland," and though Wiswell says out-of-towners are welcome, tourism has also driven up prices. One example: his childhood home. "We bought the land for $37,000 – little tiny house I grew up on – It's now almost $1 million," he said, adding that all others around it are empty for parts of the year, as they've become second homes. "People that I've talked to – I have friends on both sides of the political spectrum – are really just looking for someone who wants to actually change, and change Maine." Sponsor Message Become an NPR sponsor