Maine Democrats Launch Special Process to Replace U.S. Senate Nominee

Maine The Maine Democratic Party has launched an expedited nomination process to select a new candidate for the U.S. Senate, giving party members less than three weeks to choose a nominee who will face Republican Sen. Susan Collins in November.

The unusual process must be completed by 5 p.m. on July 27, according to information released by the party.

Under the plan, prospective candidates must formally declare their intention to run and collect the required signatures to qualify for consideration.

The process will then move to a series of county nominating meetings scheduled for July 18 and 19. Democratic Party members in each of Maine’s 16 counties will gather to elect delegates to the statewide nominating convention.

Registered Maine Democrats will be permitted to apply to serve as delegates and participate in their respective county meetings.

Those meetings will determine the composition of the 601-member delegation that will ultimately choose the party’s replacement nominee.

The statewide nominating convention is scheduled for 9 a.m. on Saturday, July 25, at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor.

At the convention, the 601 delegates will vote to select the Democratic candidate who will appear on the November ballot against Collins.

Party officials described the process as an effort to accommodate different viewpoints and backgrounds within the Maine Democratic Party while operating under an unusually compressed timeline.

“We have worked hard to create a fair process that is inclusive of varying viewpoints and diverse backgrounds of Democrats across the state of Maine, as we all come together in service of our ultimate goal: defeat Susan Collins and win this Senate seat,” the party said.

The party acknowledged that the circumstances surrounding the special nomination process are unprecedented but maintained that its organization is prepared to complete the process before the July 27 deadline.

“These circumstances are unprecedented, but our state party is ready and capable of rising to this challenge,” party officials said.

As of Sunday, July 12, at least eight Democrats have publicly entered the race to replace Graham Platner as the party’s U.S. Senate nominee:

1. Nirav Shah — Former director of the Maine CDC and former deputy director of the federal CDC. Shah recently competed for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination.
2. Troy Jackson — Former Maine Senate president and longtime Aroostook County legislator. Jackson has positioned himself as the populist successor to Platner and has received support from Our Revolution, the group founded by allies of Sen. Bernie Sanders.
3. Shenna Bellows — Maine secretary of state and the Democratic nominee who challenged Susan Collins in 2014. Bellows also recently ran for governor.
4. Dan Kleban — Co-founder of Maine Beer Company. Kleban briefly sought the Democratic Senate nomination earlier in the election cycle before endorsing Gov. Janet Mills.
5. Jordan Wood — Former congressional staffer who recently competed in the Democratic primary for Maine’s Second Congressional District.
6. Paige Loud — Social worker, former Platner campaign worker and recent candidate in the Second Congressional District Democratic primary.
7. David Costello — Former State Department official who finished third in the June 9 Democratic Senate primary. Costello was also the Democratic nominee against independent Sen. Angus King in 2024.
8. Andrea LaFlamme — A former legislative candidate who has also entered the expedited nomination contest.

The Associated Press reported that state Rep. Valli Geiger of Rockland has expressed interest but had not formally entered the race as of its latest update. Platner reportedly encouraged Geiger and several others to consider running.