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By Mary Ellen McIntire and Daniela Altimari
Maine Democrats have less than three weeks to find a challenger to Sen. Susan Collins after Graham Platner said Wednesday night he would suspend his campaign while continuing to deny an allegation of sexual assault.
So far, an array of candidates who unsuccessfully sought other Maine offices this year have put their names forward as options for the nominating convention the state Democratic Party has said it plans to hold to pick Platner’s replacement. At the time of writing, party officials had yet to announce details on what that process might look like.
Nirav Shah, the former state public health official who placed second in last month’s gubernatorial primary, announced his campaign Thursday morning. So did Jordan Wood, a former Capitol Hill staffer who ran for Senate last year before shifting to the battleground 2nd District, where he placed third in the primary. Former USAID official David Costello, who finished third in last month’s Senate primary, told The New York Times he was in as well. And Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, who lost to Collins in 2014, entered the fray Thursday afternoon.
