Maine Democrat Graham Platner announced that he was suspending his campaign for the United States Senate on Wednesday, two days after he was accused of sexual assault by a woman he dated five years ago.
The allegation, which was made public by Politico on Monday, led to widespread calls from within the Democratic Party for Platner to drop out of the race. Platner, who denies the accusation, announced his intention to withdraw in a lengthy social media video in which he argued that “large forces” were working against him to sink his candidacy.
Maine Democrats are now on an extremely tight timeline to choose Platner’s replacement. According to state law, they have until July 27 to select another candidate in time for that person’s name to appear on the ballot in November.
Their choice carries significant weight. Maine is one of the most important Senate battlegrounds in this year’s midterm elections as Democrats seek to gain control of the chamber. Unseating incumbent Republican Susan Collins, who has represented Maine in the Senate for nearly 30 years, would be a major step toward that goal. Collins has proven to be remarkably resilient, including winning reelection in 2020, when a “blue wave” led to major Democratic gains elsewhere in the country.
Despite a string of other scandals during his brief time in the public spotlight, polls suggested that Platner had a strong chance of unseating Collins before the sexual assault allegation surfaced. His working-class persona, anti-establishment rhetoric and progressive politics helped him go from an unknown outsider to a national figure in just a few months.
Maine Democrats said Wednesday that they hope to harness the “unprecedented amount of energy and enthusiasm” that surrounded Platner’s campaign as they prepare to name a new nominee to challenge Collins.
Here’s what to know about how Platner’s replacement will be chosen and who might be in the running to take his place on the Democratic ticket.
How will the nominee be chosen?
There’s nothing unique about a candidate dropping out of a high-profile race, but it’s rare for it to happen this late in the process in such a high-stakes election. It has been 10 years since either party has had to replace a Senate candidate who has already won a primary and formally become the nominee, according to Ballotpedia. In fact, it’s happened just 11 times over the past 50 years. Only two of those replacement nominees went on to win, and neither was in a swing state.
The law requires Democrats to submit their new nominee by July 27, which means there is not enough time to hold a repeat of the primary election so voters can decide who Platner’s replacement will be. Instead, Maine Democrats have announced plans to hold a nominating convention where a new candidate will be chosen.
Details about the convention, including when it will be held and how exactly the new nominee will be selected, have not been released. As many as 600 delegates will reportedly be invited, though it’s still unclear how they will be chosen.
Who’s vying to be Platner’s replacement?
Platner’s withdrawal has forced Maine Democrats to effectively redo the entire primary process — from identifying candidates to launching campaigns to finally choosing a nominee — at hyperspeed. As of Thursday afternoon, five candidates had formally declared their candidacies. Several more had signaled that they may enter the race.
These are the candidates who have officially joined the race:
Troy Jackson: The former president of the Maine Senate, Jackson is a vocal progressive who shares many of the same policy positions as Platner. He ran for governor earlier this year but finished third in the Democratic primary.
Shenna Bellows: Maine’s current secretary of state made a national name for herself in 2023 when she attempted to have President Trump barred from appearing on her state’s presidential primary ballot over his role in the Jan. 6 riots. Before entering politics, Bellows worked as a civil rights advocate, including as the head of Maine’s chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union.
Nirav Shah: An epidemiologist and former public health official, Shah oversaw Maine’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Like Platner, Shah has portrayed himself as an “outsider” equipped to take on an establishment that has “failed” everyday Americans, the same message that helped him finish second in the Democratic gubernatorial primary earlier this year.
Dan Kleban: The cofounder of Maine Beer Company, Kleban has never been elected to public office. He briefly ran for the Democratic Senate nomination during the primary, but dropped out in October 2025 and gave his endorsement to Gov. Janet Mills.
Jordan Wood: A 36-year-old progressive who has vowed not to accept money from mainstream political groups for his campaign, Wood unsuccessfully ran for a congressional seat in Maine’s Second District.
At least two other candidates have given strong indications that they may join the race. State lawmaker Valli Geiger told local media on Wednesday that Platner had been encouraging her to run, a claim that Platner has not confirmed. Environmental policy consultant David Costello, who finished a distant third in the Senate primary, said earlier this week that he would reenter the race if Platner dropped out, but he hasn’t officially launched his campaign.
A noteworthy name that hasn’t been stepped up is Mills. The two-term governor with a strong record in statewide elections was viewed as the frontrunner for the Democratic Senate nomination in the early stages of the primary before Platner’s surprising success led her to suspend her campaign. So far, Mills has not given any indication that she intends to get back into the race.
