Maine Democrats have now made it official, Troy Jackson is their new U.S. Senate nominee after the party moved on from scandal plagued Graham Platner.

The state party declared Jackson the winner of its U.S. Senate Nominating Convention, setting him up to face incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine.

The Maine Democrat Party said Jackson secured the nomination over the weekend with support from 566 delegates from across the state.

Party leaders are trying to project unity, because nothing says confidence like swapping candidates and insisting everything is perfectly normal.

Trump's Sovereign Wealth Fund: What Could It Mean For Your Money?

“Congratulations to Troy Jackson on earning the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate,” Maine Democratic Party Chair Charlie Dingman said in a statement.

The party chair praised the process as if Democrats had just pulled off a master class in democracy instead of a rapid repair job.

“Maine Democrats engaged in this tightly scheduled nomination process with energy and enthusiasm.

Tens of thousands of Democrats participated in selecting delegates, and today our delegates chose our nominee in a process that was open, representative, and transparent,” Dingman continued.

FREE Gun Law Map: Laws Don't Pause During Social Unrest

He added that Maine Democrats are now “united to support our nominee and focus on what matters most: defeating Susan Collins this November.”

Dingman also tried to frame Jackson as the man for working Mainers.

“Mainers are looking for a senator who will fight for working families, lower costs, protect our freedoms, and stand up for Maine. We’re excited to get to work to elect Troy Jackson and build a stronger future for our state.”

Jackson, a former president of the Maine Senate, was widely expected to walk away with the nomination.

Most delegates had already pledged to support him over qualifying contenders David Costello, Dan Kleban, and Saundra Pelletier.

WATCH:

One name apparently absent from the qualifying field was Ashley Webb, the self described transgender intersex candidate who previously drew attention for claiming to experience a monthly period through his rectum.

WATCH:

Even by Democrat primary standards, that one apparently did not make the convention cut.

Jackson now becomes the face of the Democrat effort against Collins, but he is not exactly arriving without baggage.

He has long carried a reputation as a hot tempered political figure, which could complicate the party’s attempt to package him as a calm and steady alternative.

Earlier this month, the far left group Progressive Victory aired a serious allegation against Jackson.

The group claimed that he “struck a female colleague with a bottle he threw at her” during a disagreement, and said the account was supported by multiple witnesses.

The Washington Post has also described Jackson as someone who “once angrily threw a water bottle in a meeting after he couldn’t persuade a lawmaker to vote his way.”

WATCH:

That is not exactly the kind of biography line campaign consultants usually put in glossy mailers to suburban voters.

Democrats, naturally, are hoping voters will look past all of that and focus on their usual talking points about costs, freedoms, and working families.

The problem is that voters in Maine may wonder why the party keeps producing candidates who require so much explaining.

Some Democrats are acting pleased with the switch, but not everyone sounds thrilled.

According to NOTUS, Sen. Mazie Hirono of Hawaii laughed when she was asked whether Jackson had a better chance of winning than Platner.

“Let’s just say that we have a candidate,” she said.

That is the kind of ringing endorsement that usually belongs on a warning label, not a campaign brochure.

For Collins, the Democrat shuffle could be a political gift if her campaign can keep the focus on competence, stability, and the left’s increasingly odd candidate bench.

Maine voters may now get to choose between a familiar Republican incumbent and a Democrat nominee whose party had to reassure everyone that its emergency nomination process was open, representative, and transparent.

The Maine Senate race was already expected to draw national attention, and Jackson’s nomination will likely intensify the fight.

Democrats want to convince voters they have found their champion, but Republicans will have plenty of material to argue that the party simply traded one headache for another.

The opinions expressed by contributors and/or content partners are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Objectivist. Contact us for guidelines on submitting your own commentary.