Former Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows and former gubernatorial candidate Dr. Nirav Shah both suspended their campaigns for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate on Sunday, with Bellows announcing her decision first and Shah following later in the day. Both endorsed former Maine Senate President Troy Jackson, effectively clearing the path for Jackson to become the Democratic nominee at next weekend’s state convention.

The announcements came less than 24 hours after Democrats across Maine held county caucuses to elect delegates to the July 25 nominating convention in Bangor. Jackson’s campaign emerged from those caucuses with a commanding delegate advantage, reportedly securing at least 367 supporters—well above the 301 delegates needed to win the nomination if those supporters remain united at the convention.

With Bellows and Shah now out of the race, Jackson is left with no major opposition heading into the convention, making his nomination all but certain.

Bellows, who served as Maine’s Secretary of State and was previously the Democratic nominee for governor in 2014, announced Sunday that she was ending her campaign and backing Jackson. Her decision marked the first major consolidation behind the former Senate president following Saturday’s delegate elections.

Hours later, Shah released a pair of statements announcing he too was suspending his campaign.

“A few weeks ago, I entered this race because I could not accept the idea of Susan Collins gliding to a sixth term at the very moment Maine families are being forced to pay the price for her votes,” Shah wrote. “Today, I am stepping aside… because we must defeat Susan Collins, and the Democratic Party must be unified to do it.”

Shah thanked the volunteers who quickly assembled his campaign after he entered the race, noting supporters collected nearly 1,000 signatures in three days, made approximately 15,000 phone calls in one week, and helped secure thousands of votes during this weekend’s delegate elections.

“Our volunteers come from every corner of Maine and every walk of life,” Shah wrote. “They represent the very best of Maine, united by a deep belief in a better future for our state.”

Shah urged Democrats to rally behind Jackson, arguing that party unity was essential to defeating Republican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins in November.

“As we turn to defeating Susan Collins, Mainers must remember that she is not a moderate,” Shah wrote. He criticized Collins for supporting the Iraq War, voting to confirm Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh before the overturning of Roe v. Wade, and for supporting funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

“That’s why I am suspending my campaign for the United States Senate today and endorsing Troy Jackson,” Shah wrote. “Susan Collins, Donald Trump, and Senate Republicans are banking on disunity and frustration from Maine Democrats to try and win this seat, and we are not going to give them that.”

The endorsements cap a whirlwind replacement process triggered after Democratic nominee Graham Platner withdrew from the race amid allegations of sexual assault. Because Platner exited after winning the Democratic primary, party rules required Democrats to select a replacement nominee through a special convention rather than another primary election.

That process began this weekend as Democrats elected 500 county delegates who will join 101 members of the Democratic State Committee to choose the nominee in Bangor.

The endorsements effectively end what had briefly become a crowded race to replace Platner. Other candidates, including brewery owner Dan Kleban and activist Ashley Webb, failed to gain meaningful traction during the weekend delegate elections, while Jackson emerged with a dominant statewide organization.

Jackson’s rapid consolidation of support also underscores his longstanding influence within Maine Democratic politics. A logger from Allagash and former Senate president, Jackson has spent decades in Augusta and previously won the Democratic nomination for governor in 2018 before losing in the general election.

Jackson has attempted to cast himself in this campaign as an anti-establishment candidate willing to take on Washington insiders. Critics, however, argue that after serving for years as one of the most powerful Democrats in the Maine Legislature, he is himself a central figure in the political establishment. They point to his leadership role during a period when Maine experienced rising housing costs, inflationary state spending, and affordability challenges that have become central issues in the 2026 campaign.

Jackson has also faced scrutiny over questions surrounding his legislative expense reimbursements and mortgage disclosures during his time in public office.

With Bellows and Shah now endorsing Jackson and no other challenger holding a significant bloc of delegates, next Saturday’s convention is widely expected to serve as a formal ratification of a nomination that was effectively decided during this weekend’s county caucuses.

Jackson is expected to face Collins in one of the nation’s most closely watched U.S. Senate races this November.