Democrats to debate for Maine Senate nomination Thursday

Four Democrats will debate at 7 p.m. Thursday in Portland to replace Graham Platner as the party's nominee for U.S. Senate in Maine. The 90-minute forum, hosted by News Center Maine, will be broadcast statewide on WCSH 6 and WLBZ 2.

The candidates are Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, former state Senate President Troy Jackson, former Maine Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Nirav Shah, and former congressional aide Jordan Wood. Each received at least 20 percent of the vote in prior primary races.

Maine Beer Company founder Dan Kleban is also seeking the nomination but did not enter the earlier primary.

Maine Democratic delegates will select the nominee at a July 25 convention. The party must place a replacement on the ballot by July 27. Platner, a Marine veteran and oyster farmer, withdrew after a sexual assault allegation that he denied.

The debate comes days after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer fatally shot a man during an operation in Biddeford. Jackson and Shah joined protests outside Sen. Susan Collins's office and called for abolishing ICE.

Bellows participated in demonstrations and urged ICE to stop operations in Maine. Kleban and Wood attended a vigil for the deceased Colombian immigrant on Monday night. Bellows has served as secretary of state since 2021 and previously led the American Civil Liberties Union of Maine.

She ran against Collins in 2014 and later won a state Senate seat in a district that favored President Donald Trump. Jackson, a logger from northern Maine, received support from Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep.

Ro Khanna. Shah led the state's COVID-19 response and later held a senior post at the federal CDC. Wood worked for Rep. Katie Porter of California and placed third in the Democratic primary for Maine's 2nd Congressional District.