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Attendees celebrate as Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner speaks during a primary election night watch party after winning the Democratic nomination Tuesday, June 9, 2026, in Blue Hill, Maine.<\/p>\n
Robert F. Bukaty\/AP Photo\/Robert F. Bukaty<\/p>\n
Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner speaks during a primary election night watch party after winning the Democratic nomination Tuesday, June 9, 2026, in Blue Hill, Maine.<\/p>\n
Robert F. Bukaty\/AP Photo\/Robert F. Bukaty<\/p>\n
FILE – Dr. Nirav Shah, director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, speaks at a news conference, April 28, 2020, in Augusta, Maine.<\/p>\n
Robert F. Bukaty\/AP Photo\/Robert F. Bukaty<\/p>\n
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) \u2014 Democrats in Maine began jockeying Thursday to become the new candidate for a pivotal U.S. Senate seat after progressive nominee Graham Platner announced he will withdraw from the race after a sexual assault allegation.<\/p>\n
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Democrats need to pick a candidate to replace Platner on the ballot by July 27, according to state law. Whoever is selected will have less than four months before facing longtime Republican Sen. Susan Collins in the general election. Potential candidates had already been teasing their interest before Platner, who denies the allegation, announced he intends to drop out. But a growing number began formally launching their campaigns Thursday.<\/p>\n
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The Maine Democratic Party has said it will hold a nominating convention to choose the replacement. The party says the convention will involve hundreds of delegates from across the state, but how and when that\u2019ll take place remains unknown.<\/p>\n
Maine is considered a key state for control of the narrowly divided Senate, and Democrats are desperate for a candidate capable of defeating Collins while President Donald Trump is broadly unpopular.<\/p>\n
These are some of the people who have shown interest in the Maine Senate race:<\/p>\n
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Troy Jackson<\/p>\n
Jackson is Maine\u2019s former state Senate president. He unsuccessfully ran to be the Democratic nominee for governor earlier this year with the backing of Platner and U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders. Shortly after Platner said he would quit the Senate race, Jackson launched his campaign, arguing that Mainers want \u201ca progressive fighter.” Our Revolution, the organization founded by Sanders, has since said it would back Jackson, 58.<\/p>\n
Nirav Shah<\/p>\n
Shan, former director of Maine\u2019s Center for Disease Control and Prevention, announced Thursday he was vying to be the next Democratic Senate candidate. He came in second in this year\u2019s Maine Democratic governor’s primary and was seen as more of a moderate candidate compared with Jackson while running for governor. “To the movement that supported Graham Platner, my message is this: you have a place in this campaign,” Shah, 49, said in a statement.<\/p>\n
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Dan Kleban <\/p>\n
The co-founder of Maine Beer Company, Kleban also confirmed his candidacy on Wednesday after Platner’s announcement. Kleban briefly entered the Senate race last year before dropping out when Gov. Janet Mills announced her candidacy. Kleban, 49, endorsed Mills, who later dropped out of the Democratic primary.<\/p>\n
\u201cI’m ready to fight for Mainers and bring a new generation of leadership to Washington,\u201d Kleban said.<\/p>\n
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Shenna Bellows<\/p>\n
Bellows is Maine’s secretary of state. She hasn’t announced she’ll run for Senate but she has expressed interest in the job.<\/p>\n
This wouldn’t be her first time running for political office. Bellows, 51, placed fourth in the state\u2019s Democratic governor’s primary in June. And in 2014, Bellows ran against Collins as the Senate Democratic nominee and lost in a landslide.<\/p>\n
Jordan Wood<\/p>\n
Wood, 36, initially attempted to run in the Maine Democratic Senate primary last year but dropped out to run in the state’s 2nd District. He lost that race, coming in third to state Auditor Matt Dunlap. He’s since said he’s interested in running for the Senate again, and announced as of Thursday.<\/p>\n
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\u201cTo beat Susan Collins, we need a candidate who can provide a true contrast and run an unapologetically progressive campaign: Passing Medicare for All. Stopping ICE terrorizing our streets,\u201d Wood wrote on social media on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Paige Loud<\/p>\n
Loud filed paperwork to run for the Senate seat earlier this week. The 29-year-old social worker also ran in the state’s 2nd District Democratic primary, but came in last during the state’s first round of ranked choice voting.<\/p>\n
Valli Geiger<\/p>\n
Geiger, a previous Platner supporter and a state Democratic lawmaker, is another potential candidate. She hasn’t announced her candidacy, but in an interview with MS NOW on Wednesday, Geiger, 70, said she would hire Platner’s staff, whom she described as \u201cdeeply impassioned and confident young people.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Kruesi reported from Providence, R.I.<\/p>\n
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