Tuesday, July 7, 2026: Maine Democrats consider US Senate run amid Platner allegations; social media influencer sues after Bangor event with Vance

From Maine Public Radio and Mainepublic.org, I'm Nicole Ogrisco with the news on this day in Maine, Tuesday, July 7, 2026. The behind-the-scenes scramble to replace Graham Platner was in full swing today, even though the Senate hopeful had yet to officially end his campaign following new sexual assault allegations. But Democratic Party leaders aren't saying yet how they would choose a nominee. And as Kevin Miller reports, some Democratic activists say the party needs to be as transparent and inclusive as possible. Despite consistent rumors suggesting an imminent withdrawal. Graham Platner had yet to say how he will proceed after a woman he once stated told a national news outlet that he sexually assaulted her five years ago. But he quickly lost the support of state party leaders, national groups, and influential backers like Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, who called on him to withdraw on Tuesday. Meanwhile, potential successors are making known their interest in the nomination. One of the most frequently mentioned names is former State Senate President Troy Jackson. a Bernie Sanders-style populist who waged his own bid for governor this spring. Jackson has filed initial paperwork with the Federal Election Commission to potentially run. There's a movement out there right now of people that want a progressive person. They want change. They want Medicare for all. They want workers' rights. They want everything I care about. Other names being bandied about include Secretary of State Shenabellos, who also ran a strong gubernatorial campaign. Maine Beer Company founder, and brief Senate candidate Dan Kleban, and former second congressional district candidate Jordan Wood. David Costello, who finished third behind Graham Platner and Governor Janet Mills in last month's Senate primary, said he would also put his name forward as a nominee. But Mills has yet to say publicly whether she would still be interested, more than two months after she suspended her campaign. Nurev Shah, the former Maine CDC director who finished second in last month's gubernatorial primary, said he and his wife are, quote, taking a look at whether this is the right move. What matters more than anything right now is that the process to select the nominee be as open and transparent as possible. For example, there should be debates and town halls to make sure that Mainers know who they are selecting to take on Senator Susan Collins. Under state law, Graham Platner has until 5 p.m. on Monday, July 13th, to withdraw and still allow the main Democratic Party time to put another name on the fall ballot. That law gives party leaders two weeks to make that selection. But it doesn't spill out how they should do it. And as of Tuesday evening, Democratic leaders have been silent on their plans, for if and when Graham Platner ends his Senate bid. David Farmer is a longtime Democratic political consultant and campaign leader, who says he's not been involved in those internal discussions. But Farmer says the process needs to be as open, as transparent, and as inclusive as possible. I think that you need to allow a broad list of names and create a way for as many people, as many Democrats who can to participate. Farmer says that could be caucuses, another state convention, local meetings, or other potential solutions.

And, you know, my experience with the state party leadership is that, you know, they will do their best to come up with a process that is fair and inclusive, but that given the high stakes and given, you know, the circumstances, it'll be very difficult for them to please everyone. Graham Platner's campaign did not respond to requests for comment. But some news reports have suggested that the campaign is trying to ensure that if he withdraws, that the nominee shares his populist views. And that's a chord that Graham Platner struck in his video message on Monday, suggesting that even if he dropped out of the race, he planned to stay involved in the campaign against Susan Collins. On June 9th, 154,058 Mainers, the most in primary history, voted to reject. a broken politics beholden to Washington and the daughter class. They voted for hope, for change. Many Democratic voters remain resentful of how national party leaders chose Kamala Harris to replace Joe Biden during the 2024 presidential elections. Setting up President Donald Trump's return to office. State party leaders will now have to avoid those same potential pitfalls, as they select a nominee in a race that could decide which party controls the Senate. during Trump's final two years in office. For Maine Public Radio News, I'm Kevin Miller. Meantime, Democrat Jordan Wood says he's also interested in potentially replacing Graham Platner on the fall ballot for Maine's U.S. Senate seat. Wood recently ran in the primary for Maine's second congressional district. And like other potential candidates, Wood says whoever might replace Graham Platner should embrace his progressive agenda that includes Medicare for all universal child care and ending special interest hold on Congress. Campaign for reform, progressive reform, is something that I think is important that whoever the nominee is is carrying on and that we separate Graham the candidate from what this movement and what this platform looks like. Wood says he has faith that however the main Democratic Party chooses to proceed, it'll be a fair and transparent nominating process and that it should involve several potential candidates. The owner of a market in the Mid Coast Village of Friendship has been released after his arrest by federal immigration agents last week. Indian National De Vilcumar Kash Patel and his family have owned Wallace's market for about two years. His lawyer, Audrey Richardson, filed a habeas petition claiming his arrest was unlawful, and she says authorities agreed to release Kash Patel in exchange for having the petition dismissed. Perhaps the writing is on the wall. Perhaps ICE. foresaw that this case would not end well for them, but what I do know is that we continue to maintain that ICE.

unlawfully and illegally detained Mr. Kash Patel. In a statement, immigration officials claimed Kash Patel entered the country illegally in 2011. Richardson would not comment on her client's immigration status. She says he was welcomed back to the Mid Coast town by his family and the community. Social media influencer Amanda McGonigal filed a lawsuit today against the Trump administration. after she was barred from Vice President JD Vance's event in Bangor this spring. McGonigal runs accounts at Cats on a Couch that Monson has amassed millions of followers across her social media platforms. She says her First Amendment rights were violated after she registered to attend JD Vance's May event, but was turned away by Secret Service agents who told her they, quote, knew where she stood. Anjita Satuhi with the ACLU of Maine says the comedic nature of McGonigal's online accounts shouldn't diminish the merits of the case. Even though... Maybe Amanda's Instagram account might feel a little silly. And it is a joke, right? It is comedic, literally. But the First Amendment rights that we are asserting for her here are incredibly important to anyone who wants to criticize the government. So Tuhi says the lawsuit seeks a finding that McGonagall was discriminated against based on her views and assuring that she could attend vice presidential events in the future. And the three-masted victory chimes, once dubbed the official windjammer of the state of Maine, sank over the weekend along the New York City waterfront. Irwin Gratz reports. The ship was built in 1900 as a cargo-carrying vessel, but was converted in the 1950s to carry passengers. For most of the rest of the 20th century, it carried people along the main coast, offering a taste of a bygone seafaring tradition. Victory Chimes became an emblem of Maine sailing ships and appeared on a state quarter, but in 2023, it was sold to Miles and Alex Pincus, who owned floating restaurants. Victory Chimes and another nearby boat, the pilot, were docked along the Brooklyn waterfront. The pilot sank on Friday. Victory Chimes went down on Saturday. It's still not clear what caused the sinkings. For Maine Public Radio News, I'm Irwin Gratz.

And that's today's Maine news. For more stories, visit mainpublic.org. Coming up on Maine calling at 11 o'clock tomorrow morning, arts, health, and healing. I'm Nicole O'Grisco. Thanks for listening.