Maine Democrats walk a tightrope: Spurn Platner while courting his voters

Maine Democrats eyeing a Senate run following Graham Platner’s withdrawal want nothing to do with any would-be endorsements from him. But they still need his voters.

Those vying for the nomination now have the delicate task of shunning the disgraced former candidate accused of rape, which Platner vehemently denies, while not offending his progressive supporters who will be crucial to taking on longtime centrist Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) in November.

“Pissing off his supporters is one thing, but if there’s a chaotic convention in Maine, it’s going to be really a disaster for the Democrats,” veteran Democratic strategist Hank Sheinkopf said, who urged state party leaders to find an alternative with the “least warts” by their July 27 deadline. “It will make it less likely that they can pick up the seat that they think they are most able to pick up. That’s a serious problem.”

A string of current and former officeholders have positioned themselves as the best replacement by preemptively rebuffing an endorsement from Platner. Some are praising his progressive ideals, and others are deleting old social media posts about him.

Those who’ve publicly rejected Platner’s blessing include Troy Jackson, a former gubernatorial candidate; Nirav Shah, another former gubernatorial candidate and former Center for Disease Control and Prevention official; brewer company cofounder Dan Kleban; and former congressional candidate Jordan Wood.

Shah and Wood have especially courted Platner voters.

“You have an important place in this campaign, and we welcome your voices,” Shah said in a Thursday speech announcing his candidacy. He later added: “I would not accept an endorsement from Graham, nor have I sought one.”

Wood, who ran in the Senate race last year before dropping out and ultimately losing the primary for retiring Rep. Jared Golden’s (D-ME) battleground district, told The Washington Post he’d “be grateful to have the support of the movement of unions, volunteers, and organizations” that backed Platner.

Jackson and Platner previously endorsed one another. Still, Jackson distanced himself so far as to delete old tweets about Platner.

Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows is also seeking the nomination but did not respond to an inquiry.

State Rep. Valli Geiger, a longtime Platner advocate, appeared to be an outlier. She’s said Platner urged her to run prior to his withdrawal and has suggested she’s open to his support.

Campaign flyers for former Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate Graham Platner are seen at his headquarters Thursday, July 9, 2026, in Ellsworth, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

Platner ended his bid Wednesday night following a torrent of condemnation from Democratic leaders and former endorsers. He used a defiant and emotional 11-minute social media video to blame what he described as a coordinated effort by party and media elitists to derail his progressive campaign through a series of strategically timed scandalous stories that ended this week with allegations of sexual assault.

“We believe that for the movement to continue, it can’t be me. And for that reason, we are suspending campaign operations,” Platner said. “We’re not doing it because of the allegations; we’re doing it because of the structures that are being taken away from us by those in power.”

WHO IS RUNNING TO REPLACE GRAHAM PLATNER?

The Senate GOP’s campaign arm dubbed the roster of possible successors, most of whom have recently lost or ended statewide campaigns for various offices, the “loser line-up.”

“Susan Collins has defeated every DC-anointed candidate Chuck Schumer has sent her way, and she’ll defeat whichever loser comes out of this process as well,” said Samantha Cantrell, a regional press secretary for the National Republican Senatorial Committee.

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