Troy Jackson Ascendant & Arizona’s Primary Heat

Troy Jackson
Troy Jackson speaks during a demonstration Scarborough, Maine, July 2026. Photo: Ryan Murphy/Getty Images
Leigh Ann Caldwell
&
Marianna Sotomayor
July 20, 2026

Maine Democrats have a new presumptive Senate nominee in progressive Troy Jackson, who dominated the local delegate selection process this weekend. Jackson, the former logger, state legislator, and third-place finisher in the recent Democratic gubernatorial primary, was the top choice among national progressive groups—a consolation prize, of sorts, for the far left that had rallied around Graham Platner before his campaign imploded earlier this month. A second loss in Maine would have been devastating for the movement. “It shows it’s not just a blip or about a candidate like Graham Planter,” Our Revolution’s Joseph Geevarghese told me.