The Democratic Party in Maine picked its new candidate for a key US Senate race on Saturday, after the original nominee was pressured to drop out over sexual misconduct allegations.

Delegates to a hastily organised nominating convention picked Troy Jackson, a former state senate president, to go up against Republican incumbent Susan Collins.

"Thank you, Maine. In 101 days, we will defeat Susan Collins and reclaim our Senate seat. Let's get to work," Jackson wrote on X.

The move comes just over two weeks after the prior candidate, Graham Platner, dropped out.

A Marine veteran, oyster fisherman and political newcomer, Platner had earlier won the Democratic primary with an energetic, anti-establishment message that gained him national prominence.

He weathered earlier scandals, including one related to a Nazi-linked tattoo, but his support plummeted after a former partner publicly accused him of rape.

Platner, 41, strongly denied the allegation, but ultimately acceded to demands from across the party to drop out, just before a legal deadline allowing for a replacement.

Unlike Platner, 58-year-old Jackson has been in Maine politics for decades, beginning in the state House and ultimately becoming the top-ranked senator.

His nomination as the Democratic candidate for the US Senate comes despite his loss in the Democratic primary for governor.

A logger by trade, Jackson grew up on the border of French-speaking Canada.

"Troy Jackson is a fifth-generation logger with a demonstrated ability to win," top Democratic Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand said in a statement.

"A champion for affordable health care and working people, Jackson has harnessed the grassroots energy in Maine and is well-positioned to defeat Susan Collins, who is more vulnerable than she has ever been."

Media coverage has highlighted Jackson's prior conservative stances, such as opposition to abortion, that he has since walked back.

Maine voted against President Donald Trump in 2016, 2020 and 2024, making it one of the Democrats' prime targets to win back a majority in the narrowly divided US Senate. (AFP)



Edited by Cecil Wong