Shenna Bellows, one of the leading candidates to replace Graham Platner as the Democratic nominee in Maine’s marquee Senate race, dropped out on Sunday, as another candidate, Troy Jackson, gained momentum in a delegate selection process crucial to determining the new candidate.
Ms. Bellows said in a statement that “the best way that I can serve our state and country at this moment is by focusing” on her role as Maine’s secretary of state. She left the race as Mr. Jackson, a progressive former state lawmaker, was solidifying his advantage among delegates elected to vote on Mr. Platner’s replacement at a convention next week.
“Democrats don’t have a day to waste” in unifying to beat Senator Susan Collins, the Republican incumbent, Ms. Bellows added in her statement, though she did not endorse a candidate.
Her bid ended just 11 days after Mr. Platner suspended his campaign following an allegation of rape that he has denied. She had run against Ms. Collins in 2014 and lost by double digits; in June she came in fourth in the Democratic primary for Maine governor.
The winner of the Democratic contest will face Ms. Collins, a fifth-term Republican incumbent who is trying to overcome President Trump’s unpopularity in her Democratic-leaning state. The race is seen as central to Democrats’ chances of winning back the Senate in the midterms.
Mr. Jackson rushed to thank Ms. Bellows in a post on X.
“Thank you, Shenna, for your friendship, your service to Maine, and your dedication to our shared values,” Mr. Jackson wrote. “Defeating Susan Collins will take all of us, and I’m grateful for your commitment to bringing Democrats together around that mission. Let’s get to work.”
