A Maine Republican lawmaker is calling into question whether Democrat Troy Jackson can legally become his party’s U.S. Senate nominee after losing the state’s gubernatorial primary just weeks ago.
State Rep. James White (R-Guilford) sent a letter Friday to Secretary of State Shenna Bellows demanding an investigation before Saturday’s Democrat convention in Bangor selects a replacement for former nominee Graham Platner.
“THE VACANCY PROCESS EXISTS TO FILL AN UNEXPECTED VACANCY, NOT TO PROVIDE A SECOND OPPORTUNITY FOR A CANDIDATE WHO ALREADY SOUGHT AND LOST ANOTHER OFFICE DURING THE SAME ELECTION PROCESS.”
White’s challenge centers on Title 21-A of Maine law, which bars candidates from filing for more than one office in the same election. The Guilford Republican argues Jackson already used his shot when he finished third in June’s gubernatorial primary.
According to the Maine Wire, the state has no explicit “sore loser” statute blocking defeated primary candidates from appearing on the general election ballot for a different office. White contends existing provisions, read together, create exactly that prohibition.
White also cited the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Storer v. Brown, which held that a primary is “an integral part of the entire election process.” He said that reading gives full effect to Maine’s ban on candidates seeking multiple offices “at any election.”
Jackson is a fifth-generation logger and former Maine Senate president who emerged as the overwhelming favorite to replace Platner after his rivals dropped out and endorsed him.
The challenge comes as Democrats move to install a nominee chosen by convention delegates rather than primary voters. Platner withdrew July 10 after a former girlfriend accused him of sexual assault — an allegation he denied.
A separate report described Jackson berating women lawmakers and throwing a water bottle during his years leading the state Senate.
White wrote that the integrity of Maine’s elections “depends on the faithful application of the law, not on whether bending the rules may benefit one political party or another.”
The secretary of state who will decide the challenge? Shenna Bellows — the Democrat official who barred President Donald Trump from Maine’s 2024 ballot under the 14th Amendment.
Bellows was a candidate in the same Senate race until dropping out Sunday.
Rep. James White has sent a letter to Shenna Bellows suggesting that Troy Jackson is not legally allowed to become the Senate nominee:
"The apparent justification for Mr. Jackson's eligibility depends entirely on treating the June primary and November general election as… pic.twitter.com/NnTS3bSxFp
— The Maine Wire (@TheMaineWire) July 24, 2026
