And the new Democratic nominee for Maine senator almost certainly will be: Troy Jackson. He’s older than Platner (58) and has been a state politician for about 25 years, currently president of the Maine Senate. He’s not a fake oysterman but has been a real logger.

Jackson started out his political career as a Republican but fairly quickly became a Democrat and has become more and more “progressive” as time has gone on. For example, he has done pretty much an about-face on abortion in recent years. Same for LGBTQ rights. By 2016 and 2020 he was a Bernie Sanders guy, and he now says ICE should be abolished. As for Israel, he spouts the current garbage required of Democrats:

Jackson is critical of Israel and its role in the Gaza genocide, stating in July 2026 on social media that “anybody with eyes and a heart knows the Israeli government is committing genocide in Gaza.” He added that as a senator, he would never vote for U.S. military aid to Israel.

Israel’s role in the Gaza genocide attempt is as its victim, but of course that’s not what Wiki means by the above quote.

Jackson supported Platner’s candidacy but bailed when the rape allegations came out. Jackson himself has some baggage, but it seems it’s significantly lighter than the huge steamer trunk of his predecessor:

Jackson shares Platner’s progressive ideology but none of his charisma. …

Then there’s Jackson’s personality, which can be abrasive, according to former colleagues who report tantrums and outbursts involving thrown water bottles. When a campaign’s best defense is that he wasn’t throwing things at any one person, it’s a sign that the stories being spread are more than just axe-grinding.

For its part, Jackson’s team is trying to put its best spin on his sudden return to the arena. His advisers seem to resort to a single word to describe his leadership style: “passionate.”

“Passionate” might not be the best choice of adjectives.