Maine Democrats continue to run into major problems picking a candidate to run against incumbent GOP Sen. Susan Collins.
After the candidacy of their initial choice, the Nazi-tattooed Graham Platner, fell apart over a series of controversies involving alleged sexual assault allegations from several women, party elites in the country’s northeastern-most state selected democratic socialist Troy Jackson.
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But his candidacy, too, is already in trouble.
Maine state Rep. James White (R-Guilford) said Friday that Jackson, a former gubernatorial candidate, may not be legally eligible to become the Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate, arguing that Jackson cannot use the party’s vacancy process to gain access to the ballot after losing a different statewide election in June.
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In a letter dated Friday, White asked Secretary of State Shenna Bellows to examine the issue before Democrats convened their state convention in Bangor on Saturday to select a replacement for Platner.
The Maine Wire first reported on White’s request just hours before delegates were scheduled to meet.
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“The vacancy process exists to fill an unexpected vacancy, not to provide a second opportunity for a candidate who already sought and lost another office during the same election process,” White wrote.
Rep. James White has sent a letter to Shenna Bellows suggesting that Troy Jackson is not legally allowed to become the Senate nominee:
“The apparent justification for Mr. Jackson’s eligibility depends entirely on treating the June primary and November general election as… pic.twitter.com/NnTS3bSxFp
— The Maine Wire (@TheMaineWire) July 24, 2026
The Guilford Republican pointed to provisions of Maine’s election law to support his argument. He said one section of Title 21-A prohibits a candidate from filing for more than one office in the same election, while another requires a political party filling a vacancy to select a “qualified person.”
According to White, those provisions raise questions about whether Jackson is eligible to serve as the Democratic replacement nominee.
White also cited the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Storer v. Brown, which described a primary election as “an integral part of the entire election process.”
He argued that the ruling reinforces Maine’s prohibition on candidates seeking more than one office in the same election.
“The integrity of Maine’s elections depends on the faithful application of the law, not on whether bending the rules may benefit one political party or another,” White wrote.
According to *The Maine Wire*, Maine does not have an explicit “sore loser” law that prevents a candidate who loses a primary from appearing on the general election ballot for a different office. However, White argues that provisions within Title 21-A, when read together, effectively create that restriction.
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Jackson, a fifth-generation logger and former president of the Maine Senate, finished third in the Democratic gubernatorial primary in June.
He quickly became the leading candidate to replace Platner after the remaining contenders withdrew from the Senate race and endorsed his candidacy.
The legal challenge comes as Jackson moves toward securing the Democratic nomination through a vote of party delegates rather than primary voters.
Platner withdrew from the race on July 10 after a former girlfriend accused him of sexual assault, an allegation he has denied.
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Separately, a report alleged that Jackson berated female lawmakers and threw a water bottle during his tenure as Maine Senate president.
Democratic delegates are now preparing to select a replacement nominee through the party convention process.
Any challenge to Jackson’s eligibility would ultimately be decided by Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, a Democrat who previously removed President Donald Trump from Maine’s 2024 presidential ballot under the 14th Amendment before that decision was overturned by subsequent legal developments.
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Bellows was also a candidate in the U.S. Senate race before ending her campaign on Sunday.
In the letter submitted to Maine election officials and later posted on X last month, Platner reflected on his victory in the Democratic primary, where he received more than 156,000 votes.
“People are desperate for change,” Platner wrote, arguing that his primary victory showed Mainers wanted “a new kind of politics.”
This article may contain commentary which reflects the author’s opinion.
