Replacing Platner

[sop]

1. It sounds like the Maine Democratic party is trying to find an "acceptable" candidate to placate Platner's voters,

while overlooking the overwhelming support Platner enjoyed from both Democrats and a lot of "previously unregistered voters" in Maine.

They're hoping Maine voters will forget that - despite all the many "disqualifying scandals" that were so well publicized before the Senate Democratic primary took place (all but the last unsubstantiated and well-timed accusation) - "Graham Platner received more primary votes than any other Democratic U.S. Senate candidate in Maine history...An analysis of state election data show that's more than any of his predecessors going back to 1918 - the first year Maine began electing U.S. Senators by popular vote...His vote share was also significantly more than all eight of the Republican candidates running for governor combined..."

And what hasn't been widely reported is that "an analysis of early absentee data also suggests the combat veteran and oyster farmer may have benefited from the state's second use of semi-open primaries, which allows unenrolled voters to participate in the parties' nomination contests...Seventy-five percent of those voters voted in the Democratic primary....So far, Platner has won every town in Maine except three, Hersey, Moose River and Weston, which went to Gov. Janet Mills."

https://www.mainepublic.org/politics/2026-06-11/graham-platner-gets-more-primary-votes-than-any-other-democratic-senate-candidate-in-maine-history

Despite all their wishful thinking, The Maine Democratic Party is whistling past the graveyard if they believe their replacement candidate will enjoy the same kind of support in November.