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Competition for Maine's Democratic Senate nomination down to 2 candidates 26%
By Kevin Miller65% Maine Public65%
7/23/2026, 6:28:00 AM
Keywords: Maine, Senate, Democrats, Susan Collins, Troy Jackson, Saundra Pelletier, David Costello, Graham Platner, Election
BS Summary: This article contains 16 faulty reasoning types, including Post Hoc (False Cause), Representativeness Heuristic, and Halo Effect, with Biased Writer Voice as the most egregious example at 18.5% saturation with 99 hits. Analysis detected 588 faulty-reasoning hits from 534 analyzed words, generating a BS Score of 37.6% and a BS Rank of 26% (16,345 of 21,887 articles). This article is better (less manipulative) than 74.70% of the article peer group.
The Democratic competition to take on Maine's Republican Sen.
Susan Collins in November is down to two people.
Former Maine Senate President Troy Jackson appears to have the support he needs to clinch the nomination in Bangor after dominating last weekend's delegate-selection meetings across the state.
But delegates headed to this weekend's convention are not obligated to support Jackson, a logger who has cast himself as the best person to continue the progressive "movement" that Graham Platner helped to spark among Maine Democrats.
Candidate David Costello said Wednesday that he is does not see a "realistic path forward" for himself given the results of last weekend's delegation-selection process.
Costello said he will now support Jackson.
That leaves Saundra Pelletier — a biopharmaceuticals executive originally from Caribou — as Jackson's only remaining opponent.
Pelletier grew up in Aroostook County, like Jackson, and is currently CEO of Evofem Biosciences, a biopharmaceutical company that produces prescription drugs related to female reproductive health.
She said in a statement Tuesday night that no candidate can claim victory until the convention delegates have voted this weekend.
“Under the rules, not one of the 601 delegates is bound to any candidate, and they do not cast a single ballot until July 25," Pelletier said.
"I respect the delegates far too much to accept that the decision has already been made for them.
Voters from every corner of Maine signed their names to send me to the convention because they want a choice, not a coronation."
Costello is a Maine native who held senior positions with the state of Maryland and the city of Baltimore.
He also served as a country program manager and regional team leader at the U.S.
Agency for International Development.
Costello finished third in the June 9 Senate primary, behind Platner and Gov.
Janet Mills.
Democrats have been scrambling to select a new Senate nominee ever since Platner announced he was withdrawing from the race after being accused of rape by a former romantic partner — allegations he strongly refuted.
Platner received a record number of votes during the June 9 primary after exploding onto Maine's political scene less than a year ago with his populist, progressive campaign.
Maine Democratic Party leaders set up last weekend's caucus-style meetings as a way for registered Democrats to select delegates to Saturday's nominating convention.
There were 12 declared candidates headed into the weekend meetings.
But Jackson, who has been advocating many of the same progressive ideas as Platner for years, appeared to have the backing of the vast majority of the 500 delegates who were elected on Saturday and Sunday.
All of the other top contenders for the nomination — including former Maine CDC director Nirav Shah, Secretary of State Shenna Bellows and former congressional candidate Jordan Wood — withdrew from their race or suspended their campaigns after Jackson's success during the delegate-selection process.
Those 500 delegates will then join 101 state party committee members in Bangor on Saturday to formally select a new nominee.
Voting will be done by paper ballot and will proceed in rounds until one candidate wins majority support.
This article was originally published by Maine Public.
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