Democrats vying to replace former Maine Senate nominee Graham Platner on the ballot are set to battle on the debate stage Thursday night.
News Center Maine confirmed the debate, which will be held at 7 p.m. EDT in Portland and include three former gubernatorial hopefuls — Troy Jackson, Shenna Bellows and Nirav Shah — as well as former 2nd District candidate Jordan Wood. The local news organization told POLITICO it invited candidates who received at least 20 percent of the vote in their respective primaries in June.
All four candidates confirmed their participation in statements to POLITICO.
Platner’s decision to drop out of the race last week — following POLITICO’s report of a new sexual assault allegation — set off a scramble among Maine Democrats to find a nominee to take on GOP Sen. Susan Collins.
Thursday marks the first public face-off for these candidates, who’ve been jockeying to win over Platner’s base of support ahead of the July 25 nominating convention, when more than 600 delegates will choose Platner’s replacement. The race is a must-win for Democrats if they hope to take over control of the Senate in November.
One notable candidate didn’t get an invitation: Dan Kleban, who ran for Senate but dropped out to back Gov. Janet Mills over Platner in the primary. A spokesperson for News Center Maine said they did not invite him because Kleban did not meet the vote threshold.
“Dan is not a politician and wasn’t on the ballot last month. That shouldn’t prevent him from being invited to Thursday’s debate,” Kleban’s campaign said in a statement Tuesday. “He has been invited to multiple potential debates and plans to participate in them. We urge News Center Maine to include Dan and any candidate who submits their Declaration of Intent on the debate stage.”
Jackson, in a statement Tuesday, also urged the center to include other candidates who’ve declared they’re seeking the nomination or are listed on the Maine Democratic Party’s current voter guide.
The debate will run for 90 minutes and be televised statewide on stations WCSH 6 and WLBZ 2.
Andrew Howard and Jessica Piper contributed to this report.
Leave a Reply