The party still has a clear path to unseating Republican Sen. Susan Collins—so long as it acts smart, moves fast, is disciplined and picks a progressive candidate, like Troy Jackson.
Source: MSNow, Zeeshan Aleem
July 9, 2026
The collapse of Graham Platner’s Senate campaign after a sexual assault allegation he has denied has thrown Democrats into a tight scramble. Now that Platner is out of the race, Democrats have until July 27 to select a new nominee for November’s election. Even with this disruption, here at The Greek Courier we are confident they can still win in Maine and defeat Republican Sen. Susan Collins in one of the most important midterm fights on the calendar, so long as they pick a progressive candidate. Troy Jackson is that man!
As Zeeshan Aleem reports at MSNow, polling shows that Platner was already struggling before the political fallout hit. Even after Politico first reported the allegations—after Platner denied them on Monday—his general-election strength still looked weak. Polling expert G. Elliott Morris pointed out that Platner was “quite poorly” positioned compared to other Democratic candidates and to House and Senate races nationwide, long before the news broke.
Aleem shows that a New York Times/Siena poll of likely Maine voters conducted between June 19 and June 26 illustrated how fragile Platner’s position was. He led Collins by only 2 points, and his favorability rating was sharply unfavorable: 45% of voters viewed him favorably, while 50% viewed him unfavorably. That negative tilt was driven not by one isolated issue, but by an escalating record of controversy that repeatedly undermined voter confidence.
As the Times reported, voters—including 29% of Platner’s own supporters—said the controversies made them question whether they could stand behind him. That kind of doubt doesn’t just hurt campaign headlines; it saps enthusiasm, discourages turnout, and blocks the momentum Democrats need to win.
That is exactly why Democrats should move immediately to restore trust with a new nominee.
A fresh, broadly appealing progressive candidate can quickly rebuild credibility with Maine voters—and translate that restored trust into votes. Democrats will be able to capitalize on a clear opportunity: after months of confusion and loud debate inside the party, voters are ready for steadiness, clarity, and competence from the Democratic nominee.
Bernie Sanders believes that this candidate is Troy Jackson because they share a deep-seated, long-standing progressive political alliance rooted in working-class advocacy.
The main reasons for Sanders' strong backing include Jackson's Working-Class Roots & Labor Advocacy, as Jackson is a fifth-generation logger and union leader from Allagash, Maine
Sanders also trusts Jackson's Anti-Corporate Alignment, and praised him as a leader who knows "what it’s like to feel powerless" and who unequivocally fights against the power of "monied interests".
A spokesperson for Sanders' group, Our Revolution, also noted that Jackson’s platform is the closest proxy to the progressive agenda originally pitched by Graham Platner.
But, ultimately, Bernie favors Jackson because he has heavily campaigned on lowering prescription drug costs, strengthening labor unions, capping property taxes, expanding single-payer healthcare, and funding affordable housing.
Finally, Jackson was a prominent superdelegate who supported Sanders during both his 2016 and 2020 presidential bids, introducing Sanders at massive rallies in Portland, Maine.
Just as importantly as Jackson's chances, Collins is beatable—and Maine’s political climate is becoming more receptive to challengers who can connect with voters beyond partisanship. Collins is seeking a sixth term during a period when anti-establishment politics remain powerful, and her previous victory margins show both strength and vulnerability. In 2020, she won by 9 points, but it was her smallest re-election margin to date—an unmistakable signal that the political ground is shifting under her feet.
Nate Cohn of the Times put the dynamic plainly: over the last decade, national polarization has gradually corrected earlier “overperformance” by candidates who once pulled further ahead than presidential results. As presidential and congressional elections realign, Senate races like this one become more competitive, and Democrats can seize the moment to put Collins on the defensive and win.
Maine Democrats are planning to choose a replacement through a nominating convention. While the exact rules are still being finalized, the party already has serious options.
Apart from Jackson who filed paperwork to explore a run, Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows has stated she would “seriously consider” joining the race.
How Democrats structure the process matters. If the party follows an expedited course, it can focus the ticket selection around candidates with ideological consistency and proven appeal to the Democratic coalition. It would be a damaging mistake to steer the race toward a dull centrist who cannot excite voters after everything Platner put them through.
Platner rose as an outsider and won 72% of Democratic primary voters on a boldly progressive agenda—focused on working-class dignity, Medicare for All, a billionaire wealth tax, and opposition to the genocide in Gaza. Any replacement nominee must reflect that same core sensibility. If Democrats choose someone who blunts the party’s message into caution and compromise, they will lose enthusiasm, invite internal backlash, and hand Republicans a stronger path to victory.
Maine likely voters were not simply rejecting progressivism as such. Cohn’s polling analysis shows Maine voters were more likely to see the Democratic Party as too far left than to see Platner that way. In other words, Platner’s politics didn’t read as extreme to many voters—it read as fighting for something—and Democrats can replicate that strength without repeating his campaign’s failures.
Failing to defeat Collins would narrow Democrats’ path to flipping the Senate, but Democrats do not have to settle for that outcome. The race is absolutely salvageable, and the party can still win decisively—if it remains fair-minded, selects a candidate who energizes the base and persuades swing voters, and runs a disciplined, coherent campaign from here to November.
Democrats have a rare chance to turn catastrophe into momentum. By choosing Troy Jackson, or any progressive candidate who brings back trust, matches the political urgency Maine Democrats endorsed in the first place, and runs an effective general-election campaign, the party can still win this Senate race and put Susan Collins on the path out.
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