Maine Democrats reject Platner-backed candidate in blow to scandal-plagued Senate hopeful

Hannah Pingree, the former speaker of the Maine House of Representatives, clinched the Democratic nomination in Maine's 2026 gubernatorial race.

Pingree defeated a crowded field of primary challengers in the blue-leaning state's Democratic primary, according to The Associated Press. 

Former Maine State Senate President Troy Jackson, an economic populist backed by embattled U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner, was also viewed as a top contender for the party's nomination. Jackson’s loss is a blow to Platner as he seeks to unseat U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, in November’s midterm elections.

Former Biden public health official Nirav Shah was also viewed as a top contender for the Democratic nomination. The results come as Jackson and Platner campaigned together on multiple occasions ahead of the June 9 primary. The two were seen embracing Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., during a "Fighting Oligarchy" rally in late May. Sanders, a progressive leader, has endorsed both candidates.

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Jackson, a logger who has served in both chambers of the state legislature, has largely stood by Platner’s candidacy despite mounting fallout over allegations of abuse in past relationships with women and questions over whether he was aware of a tattoo with Nazi origins that he later covered up.

He appeared with Platner during a fiery rally in Bar Harbor on Friday during which the Senate candidate slammed "politically motivated, serious and false, false accusations" that have been levied against him.

The gubernatorial hopefuls are running to succeed Gov. Janet Mills, D-Maine, who was term-limited. Mills, 78, suspended her Senate campaign in April after struggling to raise money and falling behind in polling.

Mills endorsed Pingree, D-Maine, to be her successor. Pingree is the daughter of Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine, and is associated with the party’s establishment wing.

The state's ranked-choice voting system required voters to rank candidates in order of preference. That structure meant the candidate who received the most initial support — in this case, Shah — ultimately lost to a candidate backed by a broader coalition of voters in Pingree. 

Platner said he ranked Pingree and Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, D-Maine, after Jackson, his top pick.

The three Democratic candidates urged their supporters to rank each other highly on their ballots, likely in an attempt to blunt Shah’s momentum.

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"I think we're the three people in this race who have voted time and time again on behalf of Maine people, on behalf of working people, on behalf of universal healthcare, on behalf of the environment, on behalf of more housing for Maine people," Pingree said at a joint press conference with Jackson and Bellows in late May in remarks reported by Maine Public Radio. "I think you can trust the three of us to get the job done." 

Pingree thanked her competitors in a Friday morning statement, praising the civility of a ranked choice campaign before pivoting to the citizens of Maine.

"After a year-long campaign and a careful count, the results are in. I’m grateful, I’m ready and there is no time to waste. I've spent nearly 25 years serving the people of Maine and the last year really brought home what that service is about — because Mainers show up for each other, in cities and towns, and they never give up on their neighbors. Thank you to everyone who voted, volunteered, donated, or opened their doors to talk with me about what matters to them, and what’s at stake in this election," the statement read.

Shah, an epidemiologist, spearheaded Maine’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which included daily televised briefings. Before Mills tapped him to lead the state’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention, his ties to the Pine Tree State appeared to have been minimal.

He previously served as director of the Illinois Department of Public Health between 2015 and 2019 and was raised in Wisconsin and Kentucky.

An outside spending group backing Shah highlighted Jackson’s previous opposition to abortion rights in negative advertising. Early in Jackson’s career in the state legislature, he received a 100% rating from the Maine Right to Life.

On the Republican side, six candidates vied for the party’s nomination, with former Bush administration official Bobby Charles defeating the crowded field that included Jonathan Bush, a businessman who is a cousin of former President George W. Bush.

Democrats will likely have an edge in the open contest with the party holding nearly all statewide offices. The nonpartisan Cook Political report rates the contest as "likely Democrat."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.