Graham Platner has dropped out of Maine’s Senate race, and the Maine Democratic Party now has the authority to replace him before the July 27 deadline set by state law. That’s the real story here: a party apparatus moving fast to manage the fallout, keep the ballot intact, and choose who gets to wear the label of opposition while the same political machine keeps grinding on.
The scramble kicked into gear after a POLITICO report on a new sexual allegation against Platner on Monday. Democrats pressured him to step aside, and his loss of support and financial backing accelerated the search for a successor. Platner’s campaign denied the allegation. Some Democrats had already started preparing before he exited the race. The whole thing has the feel of a controlled succession, not a democratic opening.
Who Holds the Gate
On Wednesday, the Maine Democratic Party approved tentative plans for a nominating convention to choose Platner’s replacement. With less than four months until Election Day, the party is now sorting through names, alliances, and old votes, all under the pressure of a deadline written into state law. Susan Collins, the only Republican running in a state won by Kamala Harris this cycle, remains the target on paper. The machinery around her opponent is what’s moving.
Troy Jackson is now officially in the race. Jackson, a Platner ally before calling on him to step aside Monday, launched his Senate bid after Platner suspended his campaign. “I’m in. And we’re going to defeat Susan Collins,” Jackson wrote on X. “Maine deserves a Senator that will fight for working families.” Jackson, a logger with long ties to organized labor, had filed his interest in a bid with the Federal Election Commission before Wednesday. Our Revolution, a progressive organization founded by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), has already thrown its support behind him. But Jackson’s 20-year history in the legislature is also coming back into view, including his 2009 state Senate vote against a bill to legalize same-sex marriage. He later called that the “worst vote I ever took.”
Dan Kleban also announced his bid Wednesday. The 49-year-old founder of Maine Beer Company had dropped out of the Democratic Senate primary earlier this year and backed establishment-backed Gov. Janet Mills. “Mainers deserve a senator who will fight for them against the D.C. establishment while also doing what’s right,” Kleban said in a statement. “I plan to be that senator.” He has never served in public office, but he has long been involved in Maine Democratic circles. Different faces. Same gatekeepers.
The Candidates and the Filters
Several others are considering runs. Nirav Shah, a former public health official, told POLITICO Tuesday afternoon that he is “evaluating” whether to mount a Senate bid. He had already called for an open process on Tuesday, including at least one televised debate and multiple public town halls across Maine. Shah oversaw the state’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic, mounted his first run for public office earlier this year, and finished second in Maine’s gubernatorial primary. He said in an interview that he is “very, very much aligned” with Platner’s politics.
Shenna Bellows, the Maine Secretary of State, said in a statement on Tuesday that she would “seriously consider entering this race, because I believe I am uniquely fit to unite Mainers and defeat Susan Collins in just over 100 days.” Bellows, who also ran unsuccessfully for governor, has been fielding calls about a potential run, according to a person familiar with her campaign who spoke on condition of anonymity about private conversations. The person pointed to her ideological alignment with Platner on progressive issues and her biography: she grew up poor in rural Maine and flipped a GOP-held state Senate district. Bellows previously ran for Senate and lost badly to Collins in 2014.
Jordan Wood, another former Senate candidate, said on X on Tuesday that he was “continuing conversations with voters across Maine if I should enter an open Senate race.” He wrote, “To 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. Standing up to Donald Trump’s abuse of power.” Wood, a former staffer of former Rep. Katie Porter (D-Calif.), switched to run for the state’s 2nd District after Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine) decided he wouldn’t attempt reelection. Wood finished third in that race, with state Auditor Matt Dunlap winning the nomination after a ranked-choice count.
Paige Loud quickly filed interest paperwork with the FEC on Tuesday to succeed Platner. Loud also ran for Congress in the 2nd District, coming in last during the first round of voting. She had held an unpaid role on Platner’s campaign before leaving earlier this year. “I don’t think we should be electing a man,” Loud said in an interview. “I think I’m tired of making women vote for a man.”
Old Votes, New Packaging
Valli Geiger, a member of the state House and a top ally of Platner, has also emerged as a possible successor. People close to Platner have been quick to mention her. Geiger told a Maine local outlet that Platner said he was throwing his support behind her, but the Platner campaign then said no such commitment was made. Geiger did not respond to POLITICO’s phone call and subsequent text message on Wednesday. In an interview with MSNOW, Geiger said she’d taken calls about running for Senate and that she would be willing to run, but the 70-year-old state representative said a younger candidate would be better.
Andrea LaFlamme, a write-in candidate during the Democratic Senate primary who received just over 1,000 votes, said on Tuesday that she believes she is the “best person to take on Susan Collins” in a post on Bluesky. LaFlamme initially launched her write-in bid because of Platner’s earlier controversies, telling the student paper of the college she works for that electing Platner “sends the message that women are not valued.” Given the fate of her write-in campaign and the number of well-known Democrats already running, it’s unlikely she will ultimately take on Collins.
Chellie Pingree, a longtime member of Congress serving Maine’s safe-blue 1st District, is also being watched as a long shot. Her bid would force the party to replace her on the ballot, which could trigger another rush of names, but her reputation as a longtime party leader could put her in contention. Her daughter Hannah is already the Democratic nominee for governor. Pingree said in a statement Monday, “Mainers deserve a nominee they can trust, a campaign focused on the challenges facing our state and our country, and a Democratic Party that responds to allegations of sexual assault with clarity, compassion, and accountability,” while calling on Platner to step down.
Ryan Fecteau, the youngest person to ever become Maine’s state House Speaker, joined other Maine Democrats in pushing Platner to exit the race, saying POLITICO’s report “make[s] it clear that Graham’s campaign cannot be successful” in a post to Facebook.
Sara Gideon, who lost to Collins in 2020, has kept a relatively low public profile, but she remains on the list because her campaign is still sitting on $2.4 million, according to a required FEC report filed on Wednesday. Money doesn’t disappear just because the voters are supposed to matter.
The names keep coming. The deadlines keep tightening. And the party, with state law at its back, gets to decide which contender gets the next turn in a race that still leaves ordinary people watching from outside the gate.