Progressives in the Democratic Party are embracing Maine Senate candidate Troy Jackson after their initial pick for the seat, Graham Platner, exited the race and dramatically fell from grace on the Left after a slew of scandals.
Platner suspended his campaign last Wednesday and withdrew from the Senate race on Saturday after a Maine woman accused him of sexual assault. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), who had championed Platner as a working-class candidate for the seat, had pressed Platner to ditch his bid once the sexual assault allegation arose.
Now, Sanders’s leftist organization “Our Revolution” is throwing its support behind Jackson, a logger and former state senator who lost in the state’s Democratic gubernatorial primary. The group, which endorsed Jackson last week, is hosting a virtual rally headlining Jackson alongside the leftist Senate candidate in Michigan, Abdul el Sayed, on Monday night.
Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) previously stumped for Platner throughout the Maine Senate race before revoking his endorsement following the news of the sexual assault allegations against Platner. Khanna will now lead Our Revolution’s Monday night event organizing and fundraising for Jackson and el Seayed.
Khanna backed Jackson last Thursday after Platner ducked out of the race.
The event marks a major strategy switch-up for the leftist organization, which has had to adapt to Platner’s exit and a condensed timeline to get a new candidate the Democratic nomination.
IN FOCUS — WORKING-CLASS ZEROES: RADICAL SOCIALIST DEMOCRATS PRETEND TO BE BLUE-COLLAR ALLIES
Following Platner’s exit, five contenders announced they would be vying to replace Platner on the ticket. The Maine Democratic Party will be holding a nominating convention to fill the vacancy on its U.S. Senate ticket on Saturday, July 25. The convention will come just two days before the party’s deadline to nominate a candidate for the ticket.
Candidates Jackson, Maine Beer Company Founder Dan Kleban, Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, former Capitol Hill staffer Jordan Wood, and former Maine Centers for Disease Control and Prevention head Nirav Shah will face off to see who will take on incumbent Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) in the general election come November.