Democrat Troy Jackson says he feels “compelled” to back Susan Collins opponent after Graham Platner’s setback in Maine race

A Democrat who had urged a scandal-plagued candidate to quit early in a pivotal Maine race said on Tuesday that he is now mourning that candidate’s downfall, even as he characterizes the election fight as continuing against Sen. Susan Collins. The remarks came from Troy Jackson, a Democrat cited in a Fox News Politics report tied to the state’s competitive contest.

Jackson said he wished nothing had happened to Graham Platner, according to the report, but added that he felt compelled to carry what he described as a progressive torch after Platner’s setback. He tied his view of the race to the broader objective of opposing Collins, whom the report describes as the focal point of the contest.

The report characterizes Jackson’s earlier stance as urging Platner to step aside during the period when allegations and scrutiny surrounding the candidate were mounting. In Jackson’s account, he believed that the political moment required a change, and he pushed for that outcome even though he said he wished the underlying situation had never occurred.

The Maine race at the center of Jackson’s comments involves an effort to defeat Collins, according to the report. The contest is being framed publicly by multiple actors as pivotal, and Jackson’s comments were presented as a continuation of that effort after Platner’s downfall.

Jackson’s comments also underscore how candidate-level turmoil can shift attention back to the party and ideological goals of the opposition, with Jackson positioning his involvement as both personal and strategic. The report did not provide additional detail in its summary about what specific allegations or legal developments drove the calls for Platner to quit, or the procedural steps that followed.

For now, the practical political effect described in the report is that Jackson remains focused on Collins despite the change in circumstances around Platner. The next steps for the race depend on the remaining candidates’ ballot status and campaign operations, but those details were not included in the information provided for this story.