The Maine Democratic Party will get its first extended look at the field seeking to replace Graham Platner on the ballot when eight candidates meet for a televised debate Thursday evening.
When and where
The 90-minute debate begins at 7 p.m. on News Center Maine. It is the first statewide forum for the Democrats since Platner abruptly left the race about a week ago amid allegations of sexual assault he has denied. His exit has forced party officials to accelerate their selection process with a July 27 statutory deadline for naming a new nominee.
Who is on stage
The debate will bring together a mix of elected officials, former state leaders, policy professionals and private-sector figures. Participants are:
- Troy Jackson, former state Senate president
- Nirav Shah, former director of the Maine CDC
- Shenna Bellows, Maine secretary of state
- Jordan Wood, former congressional aide
- Paige Loud, social worker
- Dan Kleban, co-founder of Maine Beer Company
- David Costello, former Maryland government official and past employee of a now-defunct federal foreign aid agency
- Elizabeth Dickerson, former state representative
| Candidate | Background |
|---|---|
| Troy Jackson | Former state Senate president |
| Nirav Shah | Former Maine CDC director |
| Shenna Bellows | Current secretary of state |
| Jordan Wood | Former congressional aide |
| Paige Loud | Social worker |
| Dan Kleban | Maine Beer Company co-founder |
| David Costello | Former Maryland government official |
| Elizabeth Dickerson | Former state representative |
Why this matters
Democrats view the Senate seat held by long-serving Republican Susan Collins as central to efforts to reclaim a U.S. Senate majority. Platner’s withdrawal — following a significant loss of party support after allegations emerged — reshaped what had been a relatively settled primary landscape and compressed the timeline for choosing a new nominee.
The televised debate will preview candidates’ arguments ahead of a one-time, delegate-driven convention scheduled for July 25 in Bangor, where the party’s delegates will select the nominee who will face Collins this fall.
“We will have a convention and nominees will make their case to delegates,”
Party officials initially set rules tied to the June 9 primary results for participation in the debate but later expanded the field. Some of the candidates are well-known to Maine voters from prior statewide or legislative contests; others are newer entrants who have not previously been prominently visible across the state.
What to watch at the debate
- How candidates differentiate themselves on key issues such as health care, the economy and national security.
- Which contenders make the strongest appeals to delegates expected at the Bangor convention.
- Whether any candidate can quickly consolidate support in the compressed calendar between the debate and the July 25 convention.
With the legal deadline for replacing Platner looming, the debate and the subsequent convention will determine who the Maine Democratic Party sends into a high-profile fall fight for one of the state’s two U.S. Senate seats.
— Reporting from the state capital.
