Maine Democrats' Debate to Replace Graham Platner Sparks Question, "Say, Why Did We Get Rid of Graham Platner?"

Maine Democrats staged a Candidate Cattle Call last night.

The Context: Maine Democrats held a televised debate on July 16, 2026, as they sprint to replace Graham Platner, who withdrew from the race following sexual assault allegations. The newly nominated candidate will face long-time Republican Senator Susan Collins in the November 3 general election.

Immigration & ICE: The debate was heavily dominated by discussions of immigration and law enforcement, following a fatal shooting by an ICE agent in Biddeford just days prior. All participating candidates called for the abolition of ICE. Pressed for practical reforms under the current Trump administration, candidates advocated for mandatory body cameras, banning masks for agents, and stripping them of immunity.

The debate featured a diverse selection of morons, half-wits, and the mentally ill.

A good cross-section of the Democrat Party, then.

And of course one man who just showed up to say he wants to use the women's bathrooms and changing rooms.

5 Takeaways From a Maine Debate That Showed Replacing Platner Isn't Easy

Maine Democrats vying to become the state’s new Senate nominee met, and mostly agreed, at a debate filled with halting answers and stilted deliveries.

As Maine Democrats rush to replace Graham Platner with a new Senate nominee, eight candidates gathered on Thursday night for a debate that starkly showed the party's challenge in unseating Senator Susan Collins, the incumbent Republican.

The implosion of Mr. Platner, who dropped out days after being accused of rape, has left Maine Democrats choosing from a sparse buffet of candidates who either lost primaries for other offices this year or lack any traditional résumé to run for the Senate.

The contenders are sprinting through a truncated primary process that will culminate on July 25 with a nominating convention where roughly 600 party delegates will choose the nominee. The winner will plunge immediately into a race widely seen as crucial to the battle for control of Congress.

Onstage at a TV studio in Portland, all of the candidates were quick to highlight their anti-Trump bona fides and promoted a broad playbook of progressive policies to appeal to Democratic primary voters.

I think the cattle call consisted of two panels of four each.

Here are five takeaways from the hastily arranged debate, where the candidates had to be split up into two groups because there were so many of them:

Maine Democrats don't exactly have a deep bench.

The debate's first hour included four leading candidates with something notable in common: They all recently lost Democratic primaries for higher office in the state.

Halting answers. Convoluted responses and stilted deliveries. Former State Senator Troy Jackson, Secretary of State Shenna Bellows and Jordan Wood, a former congressional aide, all struggled to match the forceful message and rhetorical prowess of Mr. Platner, whose rallies electrified voters over the last year.

...

The candidates love Platner's policies but not the man.

All of the candidates tried to thread a fine needle on Thursday night: They wanted to embrace the grass-roots energy that Mr. Platner captured and the policies he ran on, while not condoning the behavior that drove him from the race.

For Mr. Jackson, that meant celebrating Mr. Platner's support for "Medicare for all" -- a policy Mr. Jackson has long supported. Dr. Shah pointed approvingly to Mr. Platner's long-stated desire to abolish Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Below, some highlights.

It's pretty amazing.

There was also an actual woman at the debate.

But she's a Democrat, so she's an idiot too.

And this Karen too.

posted by Disinformation Expert Ace at 02:27 PM

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