Susan Collins

Maine Democrats overwhelmingly nominated former state senate president Troy Jackson as their party’s nominee for U.S. Senator on Saturday, ending a two-week effort to select a replacement for Graham Platner. Platner, who won the state’s Democratic primary in June, ended his campaign amid a series of sexual misconduct allegations earlier this month, forcing a last-minute scramble to find a new candidate.

Delegates voted 566-5 for Jackson at a special convention in Bangor. Several other Democratic contenders withdrew before the gathering, leaving the fifth-generation logger from northern Maine as the clear favorite. In his acceptance speech, Jackson hit on health care, labor, and economic inequality, while accusing his Republican opponent, five-term incumbent Susan Collins, of failing to look out for everyday Mainers.

Given the narrowness of the GOP’s Senate majority (53-47), the outcome of this closely-watched race could determine who controls Congress’ upper chamber.