Maine Democrats now have two weeks to find a new candidate to take on the nation’s most formidable blue-state Republican in one of their party’s most important midterms contests.
With the party’s former nominee, Graham Platner, suspending his campaign in the face of heavy intraparty pressure, a field of prospective candidates has emerged seeking to take on five-term GOP Sen. Susan Collins.
The behind-the-scenes scramble is being closely watched by Democrats in Washington, who see Maine as a critical seat in their effort to flip the Senate this November. But so far there’s no consensus pick, and anxiety is mounting inside the Democratic Party about how to elevate a top-tier nominee after Platner’s high-profile meltdown less than four months from the election.
Before Platner announced he was dropping his bid, the Maine Democratic Party on Wednesday approved a plan to hold a nominating convention to select a new nominee if he stepped aside from the race. The party has scheduled the convention for July 25 – two days ahead of the deadline for picking a replacement.
Some of the declared contenders — Nirav Shah, Troy Jackson and Shenna Bellows — are eyeing the Senate race fresh off their own failed gubernatorial bids. Jackson, a former state senator, and Bellows, the current Maine secretary of state, have described themselves as progressive populists, while Shah, a former high-ranking state and federal health official, is considered more moderate, with possible bipartisan appeal.
