Before finally dropping out of the race amid mounting pressure from within his own party, Graham Platner had racked up an impressive number of scandals and put the Maine U.S. Senate race under a national spotlight.
Now, Democrats are faced with the challenge of finding a suitable replacement.
Unsurprisingly, a fresh crop of far-left extremists is starting to emerge, including transgender candidate Ashley Webb.
The Republican National Committee highlighted Webb’s candidacy in a recent social media post that evoked some critical responses:
Ashley Webb – a Democrat contender to replace Graham Platner for U.S. Senate:
"I don't want to hurt anybody, I just want to use the bathroom…if they want me to use the men's room I will but I don't want to be assaulted." pic.twitter.com/ckiNs08hi9
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) July 17, 2026
Sir, we don’t even talk to each other in the men’s room. We put multiple empty urinals between us and don’t make eye contact with anyone while in there if at all possible. Absolutely nobody is going to touch you, much less assault you.
— Trevor Viljoen (@trevor_viljoen) July 17, 2026
Are we fucking joking? So the self proclaimed communist traitor’s replacement is a fat slob of a dude cosplaying as a woman? What the fuck happened to our country?
— INFIDEL 🇺🇸 (@BasedMind1775) July 17, 2026
The RNC highlighted a few other moments in the recent debate:
MODERATOR: What experience do you have in defense and national security?
KLEBAN: President Trump…
MODERATOR: The question was "what is your experience?"
KLEBAN: Well I wasn't in the military pic.twitter.com/glktL0LYZC
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) July 17, 2026
MODERATOR: David Costello said he's for Medicare for All. Is everybody?
KLEBEN: Yes.
DICKERSON: It's incredible.
WEBB: I'm actually on Medicare.
MODERATOR: Oh…ok. pic.twitter.com/yfkqNhXTZg
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) July 17, 2026
Maine Democrat David Costello brags about accused rapist Graham Platner voting for him for Senate in 2024:
COSTELLO: "Graham actually said he voted for me…I argued then, and certainly Graham agreed, [that] we need to change the system." pic.twitter.com/wIr4lDQ8tN
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) July 17, 2026
Fox News provided coverage of the ongoing effort to replace Platner:
A group of eight Senate contenders running to replace Graham Platner as Maine’s Democratic Senate nominee sought to showcase how they align with the disgraced ex-candidate’s policy agenda on Thursday night ahead of an upcoming nominating convention in the state.
“Graham actually said he voted for me a few years ago,” said David Costello, who ran unsuccessfully for the nomination earlier this year and lost to Platner, in response to a question about whether he would carry on any of the policies Platner put forward during his campaign. “How’s that?”
The answers from the eight participating Democrats showed an effort to capture some of Platner’s momentum and messaging — even as they sought to stake out their own candidacies amid a scramble to find another party nominee.
There are 13 running in total, and whichever Democrat is crowned at a Maine Democratic Party convention on July 25, will face off in the midterm elections against longtime GOP Sen. Susan Collins in a high-stakes race that is among roughly a dozen that will determine if Republicans hold their slim Senate majority. Thirteen Democrats filed with the state party by Wednesday to get on the ballot.
And CNN added this:
The first hour featured four candidates who were on the primary ballot in different races this year. All lost — but all earned at least 20% of the vote in their contests.
Former public health official Nirav Shah pointed to his performance in the gubernatorial primary (he earned the most first-place votes, but finished second once ranked-choice votes were tabulated). Former Maine Senate President Troy Jackson touted his state-level accomplishments. Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows highlighted her attempt to disqualify President Donald Trump from the 2024 ballot. Former Capitol Hill staffer Jordan Wood said he’d be best able to separate himself politically from Platner.
The second hour was an undercard of sorts, with four lesser-known candidates looking to break through in the abbreviated race. Among them was Dan Kleban, the Maine Beer Company founder who last year entered the Senate race, but ended his campaign after Democratic Gov. Janet Mills jumped in with the party establishment’s support. Mills would ultimately suspend her campaign in April as she trailed Platner in the polls.
Here’s some additional coverage of the process:
What are your thoughts?
This is a Guest Post from our friends over at WLTReport. View the original article here.







