2026-07-25T05:00:51-04:00 / 福克斯新闻
民主党在格雷厄姆·普拉特纳出局后押注特洛伊·杰克逊，尽管面临新的审查
作者：保罗·施泰因豪泽、杰西卡·桑金 福克斯新闻
发布于2026年7月25日美国东部时间早上5:00
缅因州民主党团结支持特洛伊·杰克逊参选参议院
福克斯新闻记者布莱恩·利亚纳斯报道，在格雷厄姆·普拉特纳因性侵指控导致初选胜选结果作废后，缅因州民主党人强烈支持特洛伊·杰克逊，他将成为该党参议院候选人。缅因州共和党批评这一提名进程是一场“骗局”。
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班戈，缅因州 —— 替代前候选人格雷厄姆·普拉特纳的角逐将在周六尘埃落定，缅因州民主党预计将快速推举特洛伊·杰克逊作为该党候选人，与长期任职的共和党参议员苏珊·柯林斯展开这场高风险的参议院对决。
杰克逊曾担任州参议院议长，在缅因州16个县的民主党上周选出的绝大多数投票代表的支持下，他在班戈举行的缅因州民主党提名大会上几乎毫无悬念地将接替普拉特纳。过去几天退出竞选的杰克逊的主要竞争对手都已背书他，仅剩一位胜算渺茫的候选人供代表们在大会上考虑。
缅因州的参议院竞选是全美约十场中期选举对决之一，将决定共和党能否保住微弱多数席位，还是民主党夺回参议院控制权。该州是2024年大选总统唐纳德·特朗普失利的州，而柯林斯是共和党现任议员中唯一寻求连任的参议员。
“让我们携手击败苏珊·柯林斯，打造劳动人民应得的缅因州，”杰克逊在大会前的社交媒体帖子中说道。这位来自缅因州偏远北部地区的第五代伐木工，二十多年前从共和党转而加入民主党。
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前缅因州参议院议长特洛伊·杰克逊曾在今年民主党州长初选中失利，如今几乎确定将接替前候选人格雷厄姆·普拉特纳，成为民主党缅因州参议院候选人。（索菲·帕克/彭博社/盖蒂图片社）
尽管杰克逊迅速为其新兴的参议院竞选筹集了超过100万美元资金，并获得了党内支持，但仍存在一些潜在的警示信号。
本周有报道深挖杰克逊据称的暴躁脾气和职场行为，有关抵押贷款不当行为的指控，以及包括他过去严格的反堕胎立场在内的其他潜在问题，党内一些人担忧，在普拉特纳事件后，民主党又选出了一位未经充分审查的候选人。
“这是一种仓促的 vetting（审查）流程，”一位不愿透露姓名的参议院竞选民主党战略家告诉福克斯新闻数字频道，“缅因州民主党似乎已经做出了选择，他们只能硬着头皮走下去。”
另一位不愿透露姓名的资深民主党顾问表示，“很明显，民主党不应指望通过缅因州的竞选来夺回参议院多数席位”。
“好消息是，我们在德克萨斯州、爱荷华州和阿拉斯加州等地有翻盘机会，”这位与温和派民主党参议院候选人合作的顾问补充道。
普拉特纳是一名退伍军人和牡蛎养殖户，去年8月宣布参选后很快得到了进步派领袖、佛蒙特州无党派参议员伯尼·桑德斯的支持，其竞选活动迅速升温。两任民主党州长珍妮特·米尔斯此前曾被参议院民主党领袖查克·舒默极力劝说参选参议院，但今年春季因筹款和民调均落后于普拉特纳而退出竞选。
关于即将接替格雷厄姆·普拉特纳成为民主党参议院候选人的特洛伊·杰克逊，你需要知道的五件事
格雷厄姆·普拉特纳2026年6月9日在缅因州布鲁因希尔的初选活动上发言。（CJ·冈瑟/盖蒂图片社）
但即便普拉特纳在上个月的缅因州初选中碾压民主党建制派、击败竞争对手获得提名之际，他就已因一系列丑闻被迫陷入守势。
本月早些时候，在一名曾与他约会的女性指控其性侵的爆炸性报道曝光后，缅因州和全美各地的民主党高层呼吁他立即退选，普拉特纳随后退出竞选。普拉特纳否认了相关报道，但还是选择了退选。
曾在州长初选中失利的杰克逊在初选期间曾与普拉特纳一同竞选。他很快表明自己是接过普拉特纳背后的进步主义和民粹主义运动大旗的最佳人选。
与普拉特纳类似，杰克逊的竞选纲领面向工薪阶层选民。他支持对亿万富翁增税、名为“全民医保”的全民医疗体系、废除美国移民及海关执法局（ICE），并反对向以色列提供军事援助——当前民主党在对美国长期中东盟友的支持问题上分歧日益加剧。
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奥罗诺，缅因州 —— 2026年5月24日，参议员伯尼·桑德斯（佛蒙特州无党派）与竞选缅因州州长的特洛伊·杰克逊（左）以及民主党联邦参议院候选人格雷厄姆·普拉特纳一同出席在缅因大学科林斯艺术中心举行的“打击寡头政治”巡回活动。普拉特纳是推定的民主党候选人，将在大选中对阵现任参议员苏珊·柯林斯（缅因州共和党），角逐缅因州联邦参议院席位。（乔·拉德尔/盖蒂图片社）
杰克逊在州长竞选期间也曾得到桑德斯的支持，目前他的参议院竞选得到了“我们的革命”组织的背书，该组织2016年由桑德斯首次总统竞选活动衍生而来。
众议院进步派领袖、2028年民主党总统竞选潜在候选人加利福尼亚州众议员罗·卡纳曾是普拉特纳的主要支持者之一。本月在接替普拉特纳的角逐中，卡纳迅速转而支持杰克逊。
杰克逊还获得了缅因州劳工联盟的大力支持。劳工背书加上普拉特纳前盟友的支持，帮助杰克逊在上周末的各县代表选举中获得了绝大多数席位。
上周末选出的500名代表，加上州党选出的101名代表，将在大会上投票选出候选人。虽然支持杰克逊的代表并非必须在大会上为他投票，但他几乎肯定会获得提名。
共和党人辩称，民主党人为支持杰克逊接替普拉特纳操纵了程序。
“缅因州选民被民主党建制派拒之门外，他们通过操纵提名程序直接捧出‘普拉特纳2.0’，连一次公开投票都没有举行，”共和党全国委员会发言人克里斯汀·西安西在给福克斯新闻数字频道的一份声明中指责道。
随着共和党总统唐纳德·特朗普的支持率低迷、持续的通胀以及民调显示对伊朗战争不受欢迎，正在竞选第六个六年任期的柯林斯正面临对共和党不利的政治环境。
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缅因州共和党参议员苏珊·柯林斯2026年5月5日在缅因州哈里森的一家食品银行视察。该食品银行得益于这位参议员争取到的联邦资助得以扩建。（保罗·施泰因豪泽/福克斯新闻）
这位以温和派共和党人著称、偶尔会投票反对特朗普的参议员，上月因创下连续投出10000次参议院投票的里程碑而获得两党赞誉。
但民主党人针对柯林斯的言论展开攻击，她表示尽管四年后大法官布雷特·卡瓦诺投票推翻具有里程碑意义的罗伊诉韦德堕胎案，但她并不后悔2018年投票确认卡瓦诺为最高法院大法官。
本月早些时候缅因州发生联邦移民特工参与的致命枪击事件后，民主党人强烈批评参议院拨款委员会主席柯林斯对ICE funding（移民及海关执法局资金）的支持。
但柯林斯有击败民主党罢免企图的历史。
六年前，她曾落后于当时的缅因州众议院议长萨拉·吉迪恩，但最终以近9个百分点的优势赢得连任。
预计缅因州的参议院对决将充满竞争、紧张且耗资巨大，双方的外部团体都将投入巨资投放广告。
福克斯新闻于2026年7月21日发布了2026年中期选举的首个实力排名。（福克斯新闻）
本周发布的首个福克斯新闻2026年中期选举实力排名，通过数据、报道和分析评估选举竞争力，将缅因州的这场对决列为势均力敌的摇摆选区。
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与此同时，新罕布什尔大学调查中心近日开展的松树民调显示，在缅因州可能参加大选的选民中，杰克逊以微弱的3个百分点领先柯林斯，差距刚好处于误差边际范围内。
保罗·施泰因豪泽为福克斯新闻全程报道全国竞选活动
After Platner implosion, Maine Democrats rush toward new Senate nominee despite fresh warning signs
2026-07-25T05:00:51-04:00 / Fox News
Democrats bet on Troy Jackson after Graham Platner meltdown, despite new scrutiny
By Paul Steinhauser, Jessica Sonkin Fox News
Published July 25, 2026 5:00am EDT
Maine Democrats rally around Troy Jackson for Senate bid
Fox News’ Bryan Llenas reports on Maine Democrats strongly supporting Troy Jackson, who is set to become the Senate nominee after Graham Platner’s primary victory ended due to rape allegations. The Maine Republican Party criticizes this nomination process, calling it a ‘sham.’
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BANGOR, Maine – The sprint to replace ex-candidate Graham Platner will come to an end on Saturday as Maine Democrats are expected to quickly elevate Troy Jackson as their party’s nominee in the high-stakes Senate showdown with longtime Republican Sen. Susan Collins.
Jackson, a former state Senate president, is on a glide path to replace Platner at the Maine Democratic Party nominating convention in Bangor, after winning the vast majority of the voting delegates chosen last weekend by Democrats in the northern New England state’s 16 counties. And Jackson’s top rivals in the race to replace Platner backed him after dropping out of the race the past few days, leaving only one long-shot candidate for delegates to also consider at the convention.
The Senate race in Maine, where Collins is the only GOP incumbent running for re-election in a state President Donald Trump lost in the 2024 election, is one of roughly a dozen midterm showdowns across the country that will determine if Republicans hold onto their slim majority or if the Democrats win back control of the chamber.
“Let’s get to work to defeat Susan Collins and create the Maine that working people deserve,” Jackson, a fifth-generation logger from the remote northern tip of Maine and a one-time conservative Republican who became a Democrat over two decades ago, said in a social media post ahead of the convention.
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Former Maine Senate President Troy Jackson, who ran unsuccessfully this year for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination, is on a glidepath to replace ex-candidate Graham Platner as the Democrats’ Senate nominee in Maine.(Sophie Park / Bloomberg via Getty Images)
While Jackson quickly raised over $1 million for his burgeoning Senate campaign and coalesced party support, there are some potential warning signs.
Following reports this past week digging into Jackson’s alleged temper and workplace conduct, reported claims of mortgage improprieties as well as other potential liabilities including his past strict anti-abortion stance, there are concerns by some in the party that following the Platner implosion, Democrats have landed another unvetted nominee.
“This is a bit of a rocket vetting process,” a Democratic strategist who works on Senate races, who asked to remain anonymous to speak more freely, told Fox News Digital. “Maine Democrats have seemingly made their choice and they’re just going to have to ride with it.”
A veteran Democratic consultant who also asked for anonymity said that “it’s very clear that Democrats should not be looking to Maine to flip the Senate”
“The good news is that we have upset opportunities in places like Texas, Iowa, and Alaska,” added the consultant, who works with centrist Democratic Senate candidates.
Platner, a military combat veteran and oyster farmer who was backed progressive champion and Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont soon after he launched his bid last August, saw his campaign quickly catch fire. Two-term Democratic Gov. Janet Mills, who was heavily recruited by longtime Democratic Senate leader Sen.Chuck Schumer to run for the Senate, suspended her campaign this spring after trailing Platner in fundraising and in the polls.
FIVE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT TROY JACKSON, WHO’S ABOUT TO REPLACE GRAHAM PLATNER AS THE DEMOCRATS’ SENATE NOMINEE
Graham Platner speaks at his Primary Election event on June 9, 2026 in Blue Hill, Maine.(CJ Gunther/Getty Images)
But even as Platner steamrolled the Democratic establishment and crushed the competition last month in Maine’s primary to capture the nomination, he had already been forced on defense in the wake of a slew of scandals.
Platner dropped out earlier this month, amid calls from top Democrats in Maine and across the country to immediately exit the race following an explosive report containing an allegation of rape from a woman he previously dated. Platner denied the report but stepped aside.
Jackson, who unsuccessfully ran for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination, campaigned alongside Platner during the primary. And he quickly made the case that he was the best equipped candidate to grab the mantle of the progressive and populist movement that had backed Platner.
Similar to Platner, Jackson is running on a platform aimed at working-class voters. He backs raising taxes on billionaires, the universal healthcare system known as “Medicare-for-all,” abolishing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and he opposes military aid to Israel at a time that Democrats are increasingly divided on support for America’s longtime Middle East ally.
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ORONO, MAINE – MAY 24: Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) stands with Troy Jackson (L), who is running for Governor of Maine, and Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner during a “Fighting Oligarchy” tour stop at the Collins Center for the Arts on the University of Maine campus on May 24, 2026 in Orono, Maine. Platner is the presumptive Democratic nominee and will face incumbent Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) for Maine’s U.S. Senate seat in the general election.(Joe Raedle / Getty Images)
Jackson, who also had Sanders’ support as he ran governor, is currently backed in his Senate campaign by Our Revolution, the group born in 2016 out of Sanders’ first presidential campaign.
Rep. Ro Khanna of California, a leading progressive in the House and a potential 2028 Democratic presidential contender, was a top Platner backer. Khanna quickly moved his support to Jackson in this month’s sprint to succeed Platner.
And Jackson enjoys strong support from labor unions in Maine. The labor backing, along with support from Platner’s former allies, helped Jackson capture the overwhelming majority of county-selected delegates last weekend.
The 500 delegates chosen last weekend, along with 101 selected by the state party, will vote for the nominee at the convention. While the delegates on Jackson’s slate are not required to support him at the convention, he is considered all but certain to secure the nomination.
Republicans are arguing that Democrats stacked the deck to back Jackson as Platner’s replacement.
“Maine voters have been shut out by the Democrat establishment with a rigged nominating process to crown Platner 2.0 without a single vote being cast,” Republican National Committee spokesperson Kristen Cianci charged in a statement to Fox News Digital.
Collins, as she runs for a sixth six-year term in the Senate, is facing a rough political climate for Republicans, amid GOP President Donald Trump’s underwater approval ratings, persistent inflation and what polls indicate is an unpopular war with Iran.
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Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine tours a food bank in Harrison, Maine, on May 5, 2026. The food bank was able to expand thanks to federal funding that the senator helped obtain.(Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)
The senator, known as a moderate Republican who at times has voted against Trump, last month received bipartisan praise after reaching a milestone by casting her 10,000th consecutive Senate vote.
But Democrats are taking aim at Collins over her comments that she didn’t regret her 2018 vote to confirm Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, despite his crucial vote four years later to overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade abortion ruling.
And following the fatal shooting in Maine earlier this month involving federal immigration agents, Democrats heavily criticized the Senate Appropriations Committee chair for her support for ICE funding.
But Collins has a history of defeating the Democrats’ efforts to oust her from the Senate.
Six years ago, she trailed Democratic challenger Sara Gideon, the then-Maine House speaker, but the senator ended up winning re-election by nearly 9 points.
The Senate showdown in Maine is expected to be competitive, combustible, and expensive, with outside groups on both sides spending big bucks to run ads.
Fox News released its first Power Rankings of the 2026 midterm elections on July 21, 2026.(Fox News)
The first Fox News Power Rankings of the 2026 midterms, which gauge the competitiveness of elections using data, reporting and analysis, were released this week. And they rank the showdown in Maine as a toss-up.
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Meanwhile, a Pine Tree Poll conducted in recent days by the University of New Hampshire Survey Center indicated Jackson with a slight three-point edge over Collins, right at the edge of the margin of error, among likely general election voters in Maine.
Paul Steinhauser covers the national campaign trail from coast to coast for Fox News