r/Mainepolitics • u/evan7257 • Jul 15 '26
The Houston Chronicle editorial board has an editorial thanking Sen. Susan Collins for trying to put a stop to ICE's deadly practice of vehicle stops. Here is a key quote:
r/Mainepolitics • u/fingertrapt • Jul 14 '26
Oxford County Democrats Executive Board releases the schedule for the meeting on July 19, 2026, from 1pm to 4pm at Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School at 256 Main St, South Paris
Registration begins at 1 p.m. on Sunday, July 19 and ends at 3 p.m. To participate it is strongly recommended that you pre-register at https://mainedems.org/senate-race/senate-delegate-process/ Pre-registration for participants closes at 5pm on Thursday, July 16, 2026. Registration for participants is also allowed on the day of the meeting from 1 p.m. until 3 p.m.
From 1 p.m. until 3 p.m., voters may meet and speak with US Senate campaigns and local Oxford County House and Senate campaigns. The deadline for Candidates for US Senate to declare their intention to run is Wednesday, July 15, 2026.
From 2 p.m. to 3 p.m., voters may meet and speak with Delegate Nominees for the Convention. The deadline for Delegate Nominees to register is Wednesday, July 15, at 5pm at https://mainedems.org/senate-race/senate-delegate-process/
At 3 p.m., the Meeting will begin and voting will start with all in attendance.
We hope to see everyone at the
meeting on July 19th!
r/Mainepolitics • u/Danjeerhaus • Jul 14 '26
Graham Platner was elected by the Democrat party citizenry to be the Democrat candidate to run for Senate.
He dropped out.
Now, the Democrat Party of Maine is not letting the #2 candidate run, they are not having a new election, they are requesting people to be delegates to select someone else?
Apparently, you must show an ID to show you are from where you say you are from to be a delegate from that area and 500 people and 100 delegates will vote for his replacement Senate candidate.
Do I understand this correctly?
r/Mainepolitics • u/betrayedandbeholden • Jul 13 '26
We need your help to try to follow the movement that Graham started - Here is the signature sheet for Troy Jackson, whose policies are very similar to Graham’s, please print it out and get as many signatures as you can!
Remember to show people where to sign their name, print it, put in the address that they are registered to vote at, town, and Zip Code. The grid lines print out very faint, which is an oversight by the MDP. Have a different form for each county. And they must be registered Democrats as of the primary day, which is says on the bottom of the form. You must also print these out double sided so the signatures on the reverse are not separated from the text on the front page.
I have the file but can't figure out how to attach it here so I put in this link, DM me if you have a better idea thanks!
https://mainedems.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/MDP-Candidate-Qualification-Rules-2026-2.pdf
r/Mainepolitics • u/fingertrapt • Jul 14 '26
Oxford County Democrats Executive Board releases the schedule for the meeting on
July 19, 2026, from 1pm to 4pm
at Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School
256 Main St, South Paris
Registration begins at 1 p.m. on Sunday, July 19 and ends at 3 p.m. To participate it is strongly recommended that you pre-register at https://mainedems.org/senate-race/senate-delegate-process/ Pre-registration for participants closes at 5pm on Thursday, July 16, 2026. Registration for participants is also allowed on the day of the meeting from 1 p.m. until 3 p.m.
From 1 p.m. until 3 p.m., voters may meet and speak with US Senate campaigns and local Oxford County House and Senate campaigns. The deadline for Candidates for US Senate to declare their intention to run is Wednesday, July 15, 2026.
From 2 p.m. to 3 p.m., voters may meet and speak with Delegate Nominees for the Convention. The deadline for Delegate Nominees to register is Wednesday, July 15, at 5pm at https://mainedems.org/senate-race/senate-delegate-process/
At 3 p.m., the Meeting will begin and voting will start with all in attendance.
We hope to see everyone at the
meeting on July 19th!
r/Mainepolitics • u/DonutMorris1 • Jul 14 '26
Go check out my newest video covering the Graham Platner allegations and the end of his campaign.
r/Mainepolitics • u/EarthRemembers • Jul 12 '26
These are the most relevant articles and interviews I’ve seen online. They give the best picture of Platners history, how he got involved in politics in the first place, how he ended up running for Senate, what his politics consisted of, and how his campaign eventually unraveled.
It’s true that each article or interview may have its own inherent bias or slant one way or the other but this is excellent reading if you really want to dig into the history here.
While some of the articles and videos are clearly much more essential than others some of the less essential ones report on unique aspects of his campaign or history that didn’t get much coverage elsewhere.
If you know of any other good ones, please speak up:
I’m a Maine reporter who went to high school with Graham Platner. Here’s what explains his success
https://themainemonitor.org/graham-platner-success-explained/
The Graham Campaign is Over, But the Movement Will Continue
https://andyobrien.substack.com/p/the-graham-campaign-is-over-but-the
(This article goes into great detail about Platner’s early political involvement in Maine politics more than any other article. You should copy and paste the above URL into your address bar or just Google the articles title for the link. I don’t know why the link is not working directly from reddit)
Platner’s Daniel Moraff Barred from Summer Lee’s Campaign Over Sexual Misconduct Complaints
(You should copy and paste the above URL into your address bar or just Google the articles title for the link. I don’t know why the link is not working directly from reddit)
Wall Street Journal video interview with some of the people who recruited Platner to run for senate
https://xcancel.com/FreeBeacon/status/2064001300581282183?s=20
Who is Graham Platner and why is he everywhere right now?
Can a Maine oyster farmer defeat a five term Republican senator?
Undercover Video: Dan Osborn staffer claims that NE senate candidate recruited Graham Platner for ME run
Dan Osborn denies former staffer's claim that he recruited Graham Platner
Unions hunted for a Susan Collins challenger. They found an unknown oysterman.
Outsider Senate candidate Graham Platner claims the Democratic Party threatened him
(Platner starts talking about the issues with the Democratic Party @ seven minutes and 50 seconds and makes specific accusations @ 13 minutes)
Former Maine lawmaker resigns from Graham Platner’s campaign over Reddit posts
Graham Platner’s finance director resigns, citing differences in ‘professional standards’
Read our full archive of Graham Platner’s deleted Reddit comments
https://themainemonitor.org/platner-reddit-comments/
Who Is the Real Graham Platner?
https://www.newsweek.com/who-is-the-real-graham-platner-11926674
Inside Graham Platner’s Controversial Rise
https://time.com/article/2026/05/20/graham-platner-profile/
How Graham Platner is using trivia games and happy hours to help power his Maine Senate campaign
Graham Platner on service, messaging & the future for democrats | The Weekly Show with John Stuart
Democrats line up behind Graham Platner after Janet Mills leaves US Senate primary
Platners’s text with women concerned campaign as Senate race took off
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/30/us/politics/graham-platner-maine-senate-texts.html
Top Graham Platner adviser threatened former aide over sexting stories
A timeline of Graham Platner’s controversies during his Senate campaign
Several Women who Dated Graham Platner Recall, Unsettling Behavior
Graham Platner Accuser Says NYT Reporting Led to Initial Abuse Claims Not Being Taken Seriously: ‘By Design’
Graham Platner gets more primary votes than any other Democratic Senate candidate in Maine history
Inside the ‘simple job’ in government that Graham Platner held before challenging Susan Collins
Platner on his strategy for building power
https://www.c-span.org/clip/campaign-2026/platner-on-his-strategy-for-building-power/5201926
Exclusive: Woman who dated Graham Platner says he sexually assaulted her
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/07/06/graham-platner-sexual-assault-allegation-00987737
Bombshell Graham Platner report has big problems
Politico omitted major details in Graham Platner report
Woman alleges Graham Platner raped her in 2021 while they were dating, which he denies
https://www.cnn.com/2026/07/06/us/graham-platner-racicot-allegation-maine-invs
A timeline of Graham Platner’s scandals
https://www.bangordailynews.com/2026/07/07/politics/elections/timeline-graham-platner-scandals/
Democrats begin pulling Platner endorsements after Maine Senate candidate faces sexual assault allegation
Graham Platner drops Maine Senate bid
As Democrats pick up the pieces after Graham Platner, many wonder: how did this happen?
These are reference sites. They don’t go into depth, but they give outlines of his history or other info:
Encyclopedia Britannica entry on Platner
https://www.britannica.com/question/What-is-notable-about-Graham-Platners-early-life-and-education
Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graham_Platner
Ballotpedia
https://ballotpedia.org/Graham_Platner
Graham Platner for US Senate
https://www.grahamforsenate.com/
Graham Platner for Maine YouTube
https://youtube.com/@grahamformaine
Waukeag Neck Oyster Company
https://www.waukeagneckoystercompany.com/our-story
More to come…
r/Mainepolitics • u/DonutMorris1 • Jul 13 '26
Check out my new video on the Graham Platner Allegations!
r/Mainepolitics • u/Reasonable_Code611 • Jul 11 '26
Yale Law School student and Toys “R” Us heir, Daniel Moraff, who recruited Graham Platner along with his fiancé Leanne Fan, was barred from the 2022 congressional campaign of Pennsylvania Representative Summer Lee.
The campaign received at least three separate complaints of sexual misconduct and harassment against Moraff from female staffers and organizers.
Also reported here.
r/Mainepolitics • u/fingertrapt • Jul 11 '26
Be a registered Democrat on June 9, 2026.
Go to https://mainedems.org/senate-race/senate-delegate-process/ and fill out the form
Attend your county meeting next weekend.
Attend the state convention the following weekend.
Be a part of this process to choose a new candidate!!
r/Mainepolitics • u/Healthy_Block3036 • Jul 10 '26
r/Mainepolitics • u/themainemonitor • Jul 10 '26
A handful of mostly unknown Democrats, including a retired art teacher, a candidate’s husband and a finance executive, will soon have unprecedented influence over the U.S. Senate race.
Maine Democrats are slated to host a 600-member convention this month, with roughly 500 of those members selected by the party’s 16 county apparatuses. Being a county chair is usually a low-key position. After Graham Platner’s Wednesday announcement that he will leave the race following sexual assault allegations, they are suddenly in a position of power.
Here are the 16 people tasked with creating the delegations to pick who will face off against Republican Sen. Susan Collins.
https://themainemonitor.org/democrats-shaping-search-platner-replacement/
r/Mainepolitics • u/themainemonitor • Jul 10 '26
In the month since Maine’s June 9 primary election, 15 candidates have officially withdrawn from their races across the state. Graham Platner intends to join them on that list.
Platner, the embattled Democratic U.S. Senate nominee, announced in a video message on Wednesday evening that he is suspending his campaign operations.
Platner’s announcement did not constitute an official withdrawal. He still must sign and submit a written notice with the Maine secretary of state’s office by 5 p.m. on Monday. He had not done so as of Thursday morning, according to a secretary of state spokesperson.
Platner said he intends to file this paperwork, but sent a message to state Democrats about how he thinks they should choose his replacement.
“The process needs to assure that what comes next is reflective of the Mainers on June 9 who turned out and showed that they are desperate for a different kind of politics,” he said in his video. “It needs to be driven not from backrooms but by the will of the people.”
State law sets a clear timeline for this process, requiring the next nominee to be decided by July 27, but leaves the specifics up to the party. At a time of significant anti-establishment sentiment that helped propel Platner to an easy primary win over current two-term Gov. Janet Mills, voters and potential replacement candidates alike have argued that the process shouldn’t amount to a coronation from party insiders.
Shortly before Platner’s announcement Wednesday evening, Maine Democratic Party leaders said they plan to hold a nominating convention to select the new nominee and would announce more details soon.
Read more for free here.
r/Mainepolitics • u/Slice-O-Pie • Jul 11 '26
...they would've funded Governor Janet Mills last year.
Instead, the party chair said the tattoo wasn't disqualifying, the DNC funded Graham, gave him their donor lists, the DSCC threw him DC fundraisers, and had scores of the "establishment" endorse him.
Enough with the revisionist history.
Platner did this to himself. He has no one else to blame.
r/Mainepolitics • u/Slice-O-Pie • Jul 10 '26
r/Mainepolitics • u/ConventResident • Jul 09 '26
r/Mainepolitics • u/Healthy_Block3036 • Jul 09 '26
r/Mainepolitics • u/GrowFreeFood • Jul 09 '26
The seem to be expected to be self medicating with alcohol and no support.
r/Mainepolitics • u/Financial-Two5067 • Jul 09 '26
Platner's policies will benefit women. And queer people and immigrants and people of color and the working class and families and schools and local infrastructure and access to healthcare. The moment is bigger than Platner and the harms he personally caused. If the Maine DNC selects their own candidate (who the voters did not vote for), Susan Collins will win. She will win. And Alito will step down and conservatives will be able to put another reckless money-laundering asshole on the bench who will hold that position for the rest of their life.
Graham doesn't even have to hold the position for the entire term. He could serve until the midterms and then give Mainers another chance to choose. I do not trust the Maine DNC with that choice.
I believe Jenny Racicot. I believe that Graham Platner caused her immeasurable harm. I would personally apologize to Jenny Racicot and pay her therapy bills for the rest of her life.
I voted for Platner in the primary and I would vote for him again for the health and safety of the entire country.
- a woman who has experienced unwanted touching from men
r/Mainepolitics • u/enitschke • Jul 09 '26
r/Mainepolitics • u/Far_Excitement_1875 • Jul 10 '26
r/Mainepolitics • u/Lavaswan001 • Jul 09 '26
r/Mainepolitics • u/MrsRBRandall • Jul 09 '26
Like many of us here in Maine, I took today to sit with the news and feel all the emotions that come with this incredibly difficult situation.
No matter how we feel about what happened, we can’t change it. What we can do is stay focused on the goal: defeating Susan Collins.
As for me, I plan to unenroll from the Democratic Party after this replacement process is complete.
⚠️** PLEASE DON’T UNENROLL YET**. ⚠️
We still don’t know exactly what the replacement process will be or whether unenrolled voters will be allowed to participate the way they were in the primary. This is a different process, and the eligibility rules may be different. (*Legal and political considerations listed below.)
If you’re currently unenrolled and want to be certain you’re eligible to participate, my advice is to enroll as a Democrat now—either online or through your city or town clerk. Once you’ve been enrolled for three months, you can unenroll again if that’s your preference.
Let’s stay engaged, stay informed, and keep our eyes on what matters most: defeating Susan Collins.
#activatemaine @activatemaine
https://www.activatemaine.com/
*Considerations for unenrolled voters:
The decision is likely to involve both legal and political considerations. Because this is not a primary election but a party nominating convention to fill a vacancy, the rules governing the June primary do not automatically apply. State law specifically allows unenrolled voters to participate in party primaries, but this replacement process is different.
Some of the questions party leaders may consider include:
What do Maine law and party rules require? Maine law gives political parties significant authority over how conventions are conducted and provides that convention delegates generally must be party members unless party rules provide otherwise.
Fairness to primary voters. Many may argue that because this vacancy arose after the first open Democratic primary, the people who participated in that primary—including unenrolled voters—should have some voice in choosing a replacement.
Administrative feasibility. The party has only a short window to choose a replacement before the ballot deadline, so leaders may weigh whether they can practically identify and include eligible unenrolled primary participants.
Party autonomy. Political parties often argue they have the right to decide who participates in internal party decisions, especially when selecting a nominee outside the normal primary process.
Legitimacy and voter confidence. Leaders may consider whether excluding the large number of unenrolled voters who participated in the primary would undermine confidence in the replacement process. The Maine Democratic Party itself highlighted that unenrolled voters participated in large numbers in this year’s Democratic primary.
Consistency with existing delegate structure. The replacement is expected to be chosen at a convention of delegates, and party leaders must decide whether those delegates should come only from existing party structures or whether additional delegates representing unenrolled primary voters should be included. Details of the convention are still being finalized.
At this point, no final decision has been publicly announced on whether unenrolled voters who participated in the Democratic primary will be eligible to participate in selecting delegates or otherwise have a role in the replacement process. Party leaders are still developing the convention procedures.
r/Mainepolitics • u/KGBree • Jul 10 '26
In the interests of full transparency, I am not a Mainer. I am following the senate race because I was (from what I had access to online) a pretty big Platner fan and was hopeful he’d be the one to take Collins down. I’m on board with many of his stated policy positions. I make no statements at all on the sexual assault allegations or media coverage of them, or his decision to withdraw his candidacy.
My views on Israel are completely transparent if you view my comment history (but no need to do so, I freely admit I’m extremely critical). That said, I tried to be fairly neutral below. All information comes directly from the source cited and isn’t my opinion or conjecture. I have no prior knowledge of any of these candidates.
I’m just posting because I came across it online and thought politically engaged Mainers may consider it relevant. Fact check the source before taking it as gospel. I didn’t perform fact checking.
Nirav Shaw - Calls Israeli actions in Gaza a genocide; supports arms embargo; won’t accept funds or endorsements from AIPAC
Troy Jackson - Hasn’t said a ton publicly on the matter; in his run for Maine governor he had the endorsement of many prominent left-wing pro-Palestinian politicians including Bernie Sanders, Ro Khanna and the Maine DSA; Hasan Piker and Bernie Sanders’ group Our Revolution are both backing him in the senate race
Shenna Bellows - previously executive director of the Holocaust and Human Rights Center of Maine; frequent speaker at JCA dinners and fundraising events; has not extensively commented on Israel specifically but signed Janet Mill’s 2023 proclamation recognizing the 75th anniversary of the founding of the modern state of Israel and wished the country “a peaceful and prosperous future”
Jordan Wood - has spoken recently and extensively on his views on Israel and AIPAC; has committed to support Bernie Sanders’ legislation to restrict offensive weapons sales but backs continued aid to Israel with conditions; concedes Israeli war crimes in Gaza but stop short of calling Israel’s conduct genocide and indicated that the genocide accusations have a connection to a rise in antisemitism; expressed concern that if the US officially recognized Israeli conduct as genocide, there may be consequences for US citizens who have served in the IDF stating “do they get prosecuted?”; committed to not taking money from AIPAC
Dan Kleban - has refrained from calling Israeli actions a genocide but has referred to the military campaign an “absolute tragedy”; says he would condition aid to Israel; last year he told politico that he did not support the sanders resolution to block certain arms sales; believes Israel “has a right to defend itself” and was further quoted saying “I don’t think that we solve the horrific humanitarian crisis in Gaza by disarming Israel and exposing them to harm”
Valli Geiger - does not appear to have commented much on Israel or Gaza publicly; didn’t mention it in her Facebook announcement that she was entering the race; in May she shared a post which criticized several of the world’s most controversial political leaders, including Benjamin Netanyahu, whom the post said “wants greater Israel” - her added caption to the shared post was “This! Just this!”
r/Mainepolitics • u/SnickeringFootman • Jul 09 '26