Abortion is likely to take center stage in the Maine Senate race, which is considered a must-win for Democrats if they hope to win back control of the chamber.

The race has been mired in controversy since the once-beloved progressive candidate Graham Platner dropped out earlier this month following allegations of sexual assault and misconduct. Several Democrats were in the running to replace Platner but have since dropped out, meaning former state Sen. Troy Jackson (D) is all but certain to become the candidate and face off against Republican Sen. Susan Collins in November.

Jackson, who stepped down as state Senate president in 2024, is a progressive with similar politics to Platner. But Jackson lacks the anti-establishment presence that made Platner a household name — evident in his campaign for governor, in which he finished third last month. Some critics worry that Jackson’s first test on the national level will be in such a crucial Senate race.

He also has one glaring vulnerability that is likely to come up during the race: The former state senator was once staunchly anti-abortion.

In the early 2010s as a state lawmaker, he received a 100% rating from Maine Right to Life and supported a bill that would affirm fetal personhood. EMILY’s List, a political organization that supports pro-choice candidates, launched a six-figure ad campaign against Jackson during his unsuccessful 2014 Democratic primary campaign for Maine’s 2nd Congressional District.

But, over the last 10 years, Jackson has consistently voted pro-choice, opposing waiting periods and forced ultrasounds in order to access abortion care and enacting a bill that required public and private insurance plans to cover abortion services. He currently has a 100% rating from Maine’s Planned Parenthood.

Jackson condemned the Dobbs ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade, calling it “devastating”; a year later, he co-sponsored a bill that created additional protections for abortions later in pregnancy.

Abortion was already likely to be a salient issue in the battleground Senate race because of Collins’ record. The incumbent, one of only two pro-choice Republicans in the Senate, is considered one of the most vulnerable Republicans up for reelection this year in large part because of her deciding vote to confirm Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court in 2018. Kavanaugh went on to be part of the conservative majority that repealed Roe in 2022.

Last month, Collins told The Portland Press Herald that she does “not regret that vote,” noting that she also supported confirmations for liberal justices Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan, who voted against overturning Roe.

“Abortion will be front and center in the Maine Senate race because Susan Collins helped build the Supreme Court majority that overturned Roe,” Mini Timmaraju, president and CEO of Reproductive Freedom for All, told HuffPost. “Voters haven’t forgotten her betrayal.”

Collins won reelection in 2020, but she hasn’t faced Maine voters since the fall of federal abortion protections. The repeal of Roe has led to around 20 states enacting abortion bans around the country, though access remains legal and protected in Maine. National anti-abortion organization Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life gave Collins a D grade for her pro-choice voting record this term and an F grade for her last term because of support for pro-abortion rights policies.

“The path to a pro-reproductive rights majority in the Senate runs through Maine, and Susan Collins has proven that she simply can’t be trusted to have Mainers’ backs,” Alexis McGill Johnson, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Action Fund, told HuffPost.

Collins did not respond to HuffPost’s request for comment.

During the primary campaign season, political ads targeted both candidates over their history with abortion rights.

“Abortion is healthcare. Reproductive care is healthcare. I will always fight to protect these fundamental rights for Mainers — and all Americans,” Jackson recently said in an ad that criticized Collins for her role in confirming Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court.

Still, Jackson’s past anti-abortion policy positions could complicate Democrats’ efforts to unseat Collins by highlighting her checkered abortion record. None of the large abortion rights organizations, including Reproductive Freedom for All and Planned Parenthood, have endorsed Jackson — but there is still time, since he has yet to officially secure the nomination.

“Mainers just can’t trust Troy Jackson on abortion,” claimed one TV ad from 314 Action, a national organization that supported Nirav Shah during Maine’s recent governor’s race.

“Troy listened to and learned from women, doctors, and families across Maine, and evolved — unlike Susan Collins, who stripped millions of women of their constitutional rights by casting the decisive vote for justices who overturned Roe v. Wade,” Jackson adviser Christine Kirby told HuffPost.

“Even now, she proudly says she doesn’t regret her vote,” Kirby said, referring to Collins’ recent comments to the Portland Press Herald. “While Collins will keep making excuses for her actions, Troy will keep fighting to repair the damage she caused and restore abortion rights nationwide.”

Jackson started his political career in 2000, running as a Republican for a state House seat before formally joining the Democratic Party in 2004. He also voted against same-sex marriage in 2009.

The Maine Democratic Party has until July 27 to officially name a new candidate, but Jackson won the support of enough delegates last weekend to secure the nomination. Democrats need to flip four Senate seats to win back a majority in the chamber, and the races in Maine, North Carolina, Ohio and Alaska are widely seen as the best opportunities to do so.

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