Former Maine Senate President Troy Jackson filed federal paperwork to pursue the Democratic Senate nomination if Graham Platner leaves the race after denying a sexual assault allegation.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Former Maine Senate President Troy Jackson has filed paperwork to seek the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate, a move that positions him as a possible replacement for Graham Platner if the party’s current nominee withdraws from the race.
Jackson’s filing comes after Politico published an interview with Jenny Racicot, a 41-year-old Maine woman who alleged Platner forced her to have sex in late 2021 despite repeated objections.
Racicot said she remembered “him grabbing my pelvis and being really forceful” and described a moment when she realized, “This is no longer my choice.”
She said she decided to make the allegation public despite sharing Platner’s politics.
“I just want the truth out there. I just want people to have a whole scope of who he is as a person,” Racicot said.
Platner has denied the allegation.
“These allegations are troubling, serious, and false. Any accusation of non-consensual behavior is categorically untrue,” Platner said in a statement.
His campaign later said the allegations were part of a coordinated political effort to pressure him out of the race.
Jackson told the Bangor Daily News that he had not spoken with Platner but would be ready to enter the race if Platner steps aside.
“This is a very, very serious allegation, but I haven’t talked to Graham,” Jackson told the outlet.
“This is something I never considered, but if Graham’s stepping away, I am very, very interested and think I’m the best person to replace him,” he said.
BJ McCollister, an adviser to Jackson, said Platner staying in the race could damage Democrats’ effort to defeat longtime Republican Sen. Susan Collins.
“Ultimately, the Democratic Party has an opportunity to unseat Susan Collins because there is such a progressive change mood among Maine voters right now, and for him to stay in the race is squandering that opportunity for Democrats, but also progressive values,” McCollister said.
McCollister argued that Jackson would be the strongest replacement option, citing his history of electoral success in northern Maine. He also acknowledged that Jackson would need to more directly address the allegations against Platner after endorsing him during the primary.
McCollister said Jackson “outperformed expectations in the primary election while being massively outspent, and he holds those progressive values that Mainers are so hungry for right now.”
Platner, an oysterman and Iraq and Afghanistan war veteran, won last month’s Democratic primary. He is currently set to face Collins in one of the nation’s most closely watched Senate contests.
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