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Poll shows Platner replacement already leads Susan Collins in Maine

July 22, 2026 | | Print Article

The likely replacement for disgraced Maine Senate hopeful Graham Platner is already leading longtime Republican incumbent Sen. Susan Collins.

Former Maine Senate President Troy Jackson is on the verge of securing the nomination, which was initially won by the scandal-drenched oyster farmer in last month’s primary before a media firestorm after he was accused of sexual assault, which led to him dropping out of the race. This pivotal contest could determine which party controls the U.S. Senate.

Jackson secured the majority of delegate votes at the weekend’s caucuses, making his selection all but a done deal, now needing only the official seal of approval at a party meeting next week, a formality after the other candidates dropped out and endorsed him.

The Dem gamble to take out their own candidate looks like it just might pay off.

According to the latest “Pine Tree State Poll” by the University of New Hampshire’s States of Opinion project, Jackson is three points up on Collins with just over three months before voters go to the polls.

The online survey, which was released on Tuesday, shows that 49 percent of respondents favored Jackson, with 46 percent backing Collins, a statistical tie, but the results have to be encouraging to Democrats after the chaos of the Platner fiasco.

“Over half of recent Democratic primary voters prefer Troy Jackson as the Democratic nominee for Senate. Most Democratic primary voters believe Graham Platner’s withdrawal from the race was the right decision. Jackson and incumbent Republican Senator Susan Collins are statistically tied in a November election matchup. Collins earns high marks from Mainers on bringing federal dollars to the state during her tenure in office but receives lower ratings on her votes on key legislation, Cabinet nominees, and Supreme Court justices,” the survey center states in an abstract for the poll.

Jackson had endorsed Platner but, like nearly every other Democrat who did, rescinded it after the political hit job that forced him out.

While he may not be a rapist, a creepy sexter, or have a Nazi “Totenkopf” tattoo on his chest, Jackson isn’t without his own potential for scandal, with reports about his volcanic temper already percolating up.

In one hot-headed incident, the volatile Jackson allegedly threw a half-empty water bottle at Maine state senator Heather Sanborn during a heated argument.

“Maine deserves a senator who will fight like hell,” Jackson said at a rally in Sanford on Sunday. “Not one who waits to see which way the wind is blowing.”

Collins is looking to win a sixth term and has the backing of President Donald J. Trump.

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Before his spectacular implosion, the Bernie Sanders-backed Platner was able to tap into anti-establishment sentiment with his rugged everyman image, so impressing voters that he got more than 70 percent in the primary over Gov. Janet Mills. Whether they will flock to Jackson after essentially having their votes nullified by the Democratic Party won’t be known until November.

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Chris Donaldson
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