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Who Could Replace Graham Platner In Maine’s Senate Race?

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Who Could Replace Graham Platner In Maine’s Senate Race?

Democrats are scrambling after Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner announced he was suspending his campaign.

Platner announced he would be suspending campaign operations in a video posted to his X account on Wednesday, just two days after 41-year-old Maine resident Jenny Racicot accused him of forcibly having sex with her in 2021. (RELATED: Graham Platner Drops Out Of Senate Race After Rape Allegation Proved To Be Final Nail In Coffin)

Now, several individuals linked to Maine and the Democrat Party are throwing their hats into the race or are widely considered potential contenders for the Democratic nomination.

Former Maine Senate President Troy Jackson, a fifth-generation logger endorsed by Independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders in Maine’s Democratic gubernatorial primary, is openly considering a bid to replace Platner.

Jackson filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission to form a Senate exploratory committee on Tuesday. He previously stated that he believes he is the “best person” to fill Platner’s shoes, according to a Bangor Daily News report.

“This is something I never considered, but if Graham’s stepping away, I am very, very interested and think I’m the best person to replace him,” Jackson told the outlet on Monday, shortly before he called on Platner to withdraw from the race.

During his campaign for governor, Jackson proposed offering free universal child care to families earning less than 125 percent of the state’s average income and called for creating a commission to address increasing property taxes.

Jackson also faced criticism during the gubernatorial primary over his abortion record, an issue Republicans could use against him in a Senate race.

“They’re flooding the airwaves and putting hundreds of thousands of dollars into lying to people about my record on abortion when I spent the past decade fighting to protect abortion rights,” Jackson told supporters in response to the attacks, noting legislation passed when he was in the state Legislature that expanded access to the medical procedure. (RELATED: Now That Graham Platner Is Out, Here’s What Happens Next)

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Platner also backed Jackson during the gubernatorial race, a move that could provide Republicans with a line of attack if Jackson enters the Senate contest.

Jackson is not the only former Democratic gubernatorial candidate being floated as a potential successor to Platner.

Former Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention Director Nirav Shah, who finished behind the presumptive Democratic gubernatorial nominee and former Maine House Speaker Hannah Pingree in the primary, publicly announced his candidacy for Senate on Wednesday.

“We must defeat Susan Collins, hold Donald Trump accountable, and fight for a government that delivers for everyday Mainers, not the privileged few. That’s why today, I am proud to announce my candidacy for the United States Senate,” Shah wrote in a post on X.

Shah, who also said he would participate in a televised debate if he enters the race, has highlighted his leadership of the Maine CDC during the COVID-19 pandemic. He has also pointed to his subsequent appointment as principal deputy director at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention during the Biden administration.

The former Maine CDC director was the state’s fourth-largest fundraiser in the gubernatorial race, according to campaign finance records filed with the Maine Ethics Commission.

He finished behind Pingree and other major Democratic contenders in fundraising during the gubernatorial primary.

During the primary, Shah faced criticism over school choice and campaign support from special interests. His campaign denied accusations that he supported privatizing education, with campaign manager Kayla vanWieringen saying Shah “is vehemently opposed to privatizing our education system or diverting a single public dollar to private schools,” according to a Maine Morning Star report.

Shah also rejected claims that he worked for a “union-busting firm” or accepted campaign contributions from private equity and pharmaceutical interests, according to a Portland Press Herald op-ed published last month.

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He ultimately lost the primary after Pingree, Jackson, and Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows encouraged supporters to rank all three candidates, helping consolidate support under Maine’s ranked-choice voting system. (RELATED: Democrats Accuse Platner Of Meddling, Trying To Pick His Own Replacement If He Drops Out)

Another potential contender is former Maine state Sen. Shenna Bellows, who has served as Maine’s secretary of state since 2021, after previously leading the state’s chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union.

Bellows drew national attention during the 2024 presidential election when she sought to remove President Donald Trump from Maine’s ballot. She later launched a gubernatorial bid centered on opposing Trump’s agenda but finished fourth in the June Democratic primary.

Late Thursday, Bellows announced that she, too, will seek the Democrat Senate nomination to replace Platner on the ballot.

“I’m in.

The people of Maine have been building something real – a movement that deserves to go all the way to November,” Bellows wrote in a post on X. ” I’ve spent my entire career taking on tough fights for working people, and I’m not stopping now. I’m running for United States Senate, and together we are going to defeat Susan Collins.”

Bellows previously challenged Collins for the Senate in 2014 but lost decisively. Collins captured nearly 70 percent of the electorate.

Democrat Maine Gov. Janet Mills could also revive her Senate campaign after suspending her bid earlier this year.

The 77-year-old term-limited governor entered the race after being lobbied by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer but suspended active campaigning in April, citing financial concerns while maintaining that she still had “the fight.”

In June, Mills clarified that she had not dropped out of the race, “People have the impression that I withdrew or dropped out, but I simply suspended active campaigning. I am still on the ballot,” according to a Sunday Journal report.

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Maine Beer Company co-founder Dan Kleban was also briefly in the Senate race this year, launching a campaign that lasted only about a month before dropping out and backing Mills for the seat.

The Cook Political Report said Kleban could present an “outsider candidate” message that captures Platner’s working-class appeal “without the baggage” and without having recently lost a gubernatorial bid.

Late Wednesday, Kleban announced that he intends to seek the Democrat nomination and replace Platner on the ballot.

“I’ve been overwhelmed by the countless calls from Mainers encouraging me to consider this race. I love Maine and everything it has given me. It’s where my wife of 22 years and I have raised our teenage twins,” Kleban wrote in a post on X. “And after talking with them, I’m in.”

Jordan Wood, who initially launched a Senate campaign earlier this cycle, has also reentered the contest. Late Thursday morning, Wood posted to social media, “I’m Jordan Wood, progressive reformer running for US Senate in Maine to defeat Susan Collins.” (RELATED: Graham Platner Removed Condoms During Sex Without Consent, Ex-Girlfriend Claims)

Wood, a former chief of staff for ex-Rep. Former Democrat California Rep. Katie Porter had shifted his focus to the House race after Democrat Maine Rep. Jared Golden announced his retirement from the 2nd Congressional District seat. He finished third in the Democratic primary, trailing state Sen. Joe Baldacci, the brother of former Democrat Maine Gov. John Baldacci, while state Auditor Matt Dunlap secured the nomination.

Neither Golden nor Baldacci appears likely to pursue the Senate opening, according to the Cook Political Report’s assessment of possible contenders.

The analysis identified Shah, Jackson, Bellows, and Kleban as the leading names being discussed as replacements for Platner. However, Maine Democrats have never faced a situation like this before, and other candidates could still enter the conversation.

Despite some media buzz, actor Patrick Dempsey emphasized in an opinion editorial published late Wednesday in the Portland Press Herald that he will not throw his hat into the ring to replace Platner as the Democrat senate nominee.

Editor’s Note: This story has been updated since publication to note that Shenna Bellows has subsequently announced she will pursue the DemocratSenate nomination in Maine. 

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