Democrats Torpedo Nazi Platner in Maine – Candidates to Replace Him?

Nazi-tattooed Graham Platner’s Senate campaign has effectively come to an end.

After a rape allegation by a former girlfriend triggered a rapid revolt inside the Democratic Party, Platner announced he was suspending his campaign and is expected to formally withdraw by the July 13 deadline, allowing Maine Democrats to select a replacement nominee before the general election.

Platner has categorically denied the allegation, calling it false, but the political consequences were immediate as Democratic leaders withdrew their support and prospective replacements quickly entered the race.

But let’s be real, Platner was torpedoed because the Democratic establishment had already concluded could no longer defeat Republican Sen. Susan Collins.

For months, Democratic leaders stood firmly behind Platner despite one damaging revelation after another. They overlooked inflammatory social media posts, reports of infidelity, accusations from former girlfriends describing troubling behavior, controversial comments about sexual assault, and even a tattoo resembling a Nazi symbol.

The information that ultimately sank Platner had been circulating well before it became public. Yet the decisive push to remove him occurred only days before Maine’s legal deadline to replace a nominee on the ballot. Had the same allegation surfaced after July 13, Democrats would likely have been forced to run a severely damaged nominee against Susan Collins. Instead, it emerged while there was still time to install a replacement.

Bottom line? Platner was politically torpedoed not because Democratic leaders suddenly discovered moral objections to his conduct, but because they determined he had become an electoral liability. Once party insiders concluded Platner was unlikely to defeat Collins, removing him before the replacement deadline became the overriding objective.

Who Could Replace Platner?

With the race suddenly wide open, Democrats have wasted little time positioning themselves as potential replacements.

Former Maine Senate President Troy Jackson entered the race almost immediately. A progressive backed by Bernie Sanders, Jackson has built his political identity around organized labor and working class voters. He declared, “I’m in. And we’re going to defeat Susan Collins. Maine deserves a senator that will fight for working families.”

Dr. Nirav Shah has also announced his candidacy. Shah previously directed Maine’s CDC during the COVID-19 pandemic before serving as principal deputy director of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention during the Biden administration. He has appealed directly to Platner supporters, saying they have “a place in this campaign.”

Secretary of State Shenna Bellows is widely viewed as another strong possibility. Bellows previously served in the state legislature and attracted national attention after attempting to remove Donald Trump from Maine’s presidential ballot during the 2024 election cycle. Reports indicate the Platner campaign itself had considered Bellows among possible replacement candidates before his withdrawal.

Businessman Dan Kleban, co-founder of the Maine Beer Company, has officially entered the race after saying he received numerous requests from supporters encouraging him to run.

Jordan Wood, who previously worked as chief of staff to former Rep. Katie Porter, has also reentered the Senate contest after switching earlier this year to a congressional race.

Other names being discussed include former House Speaker Sara Gideon, Gov. Janet Mills, Angus King III, social worker Paige Loud, environmental consultant David Costello, and State Rep. Valli Geiger. Whether all ultimately compete for the nomination remains uncertain, but Democrats suddenly have a crowded field of potential replacements.