Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner speaks at a “Fighting Oligarchy” tour stop held by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) at the Collins Center for the Arts on the University of Maine campus in Orono, Maine, on May 24, 2026. —Joe Raedle—Getty ImagesMaine Democratic Senate nominee Graham Platner has suspended his campaign following sexual assault allegations, leaving an open question of who will take his place on the November ballot. Platner, who has denied the allegations against him, released a video on Wednesday in which he announced his exit from the race while stressing that his decision to drop out was not “an admission of guilt.”Read More: Graham Platner Drops Out of Maine Senate Race After Sexual Assault AllegationsIn the 11-minute video posted on X, Platner said that “what comes next needs to come from the people,” who he said voted “against the political system, against the donor class, against the entrenched forces.” He said he is not trying to “dictate” who the next nominee will be, but stressed that the process of choosing that person “needs to be open, transparent, and Democratic” while “reflecting the will and values of the people” that voted for him. “People in D.C. need to stay in D.C. Decisions should not be made in backrooms by people in places of political power,” Platner said.The Democratic Party has until July 27 to select a new nominee to go up against Republican Maine Sen. Susan Collins in the midterms. The seat, which Collins has held for nearly 30 years, is considered key to Democrats’ battle to regain control of the upper chamber.Several candidates have already thrown their hat in the ring, while others have teased possible runs or had their names floated in recent days.Here’s what to know about how Democrats will choose Platner’s replacement, and the potential candidates in the mix. The selection processA Maine election law allows the Democratic Party to select a new candidate as long as Platner officially withdraws himself from the ballot by 5 p.m. on July 13—which Jana Spaulding, Maine’s deputy secretary of state for communications, told The Washington Post he had yet to do as of Thursday morning.If he does formally remove his name, the party would be granted two weeks after that date to choose his replacement, giving them until July 27. The Maine Democratic Party would then be legally responsible for replacing him.The state party held an emergency meeting on Wednesday, in which over 100 state committee members voted to hold a convention to select the next nominee. The party announced in a letter that details surrounding the nomination process, timeline, and requirements for candidates would be given “soon.”“There is an unprecedented amount of energy and enthusiasm among Maine Democrats, driven in part by many of the dedicated volunteers and supporters who were inspired by Graham Platner’s campaign,” the letter reads. “We look forward to coming together and harnessing that energy around our new nominee as we work to defeat Susan Collins in November.”The potential candidates Troy Jackson, a former president of the Maine Senate, announced his bid for Senate following Platner’s exit. “I’m in. And we're going to defeat Susan Collins,” Jackson wrote on X. “Maine deserves a Senator that will fight for working families.”Jackson is a progressive Democrat and logger from rural Maine who served in the state legislature—first in the lower chamber and then the upper—for more than 20 years. He previously mounted a bid for the state’s governorship, but fell short in last month’s primary election.Our Revolution, a progressive group founded by Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, endorsed Jackson on Wednesday, saying that he “has spent his life in the fight working people are asking for, not arriving to it just because a seat opened up.”. Dan Kleban, a brewery founder who previously dropped out of the Democratic Senate primary and endorsed Gov. Janet Mills before Platner’s victory, also announced he would run to replace the withdrawing nominee on Wednesday. “Mainers deserve a senator who will fight for them against the D.C. establishment while also doing what’s right,” Kleban said in a statement. “I plan to be that senator.”Nirav Shah, an epidemiologist who served as Maine’s public health director, announced his bid on Thursday in a post on X. “I’m proud to have dedicated my career to public service, and to have delivered for Mainers in our darkest times,” said Shah, who led Maine through COVID-19. “Now, in this unprecedented moment, I’m ready to unite our party and fight for you once again.”Jordan Wood, a former Capitol Hill chief of staff, also announced he would be running. Wood launched a bid for the seat last year as well, but transitioned to instead run for the House in the state’s second congressional district—a race he lost in last month’s primary.“It's official: I'm running to defeat Susan Collins,” Wood wrote on X on Thursday. “Together we'll stop ICE from terrorizing our streets, pass Medicare for All, and end Citizens United.”Social worker Paige Loud filed paperwork to enter the Senate race with the Federal Election Commission on Tuesday after she, too, lost in the primary for Maine’s second congressional district. David Costello, who garnered eight percent of the vote in the earlier primary election for the Senate seat that Platner won, also told The New York Times on Thursday that he was re-entering the race. Others have teased possible runs, but have not officially confirmed bids to replace Platner. Shenna Bellows, Maine’s secretary of state, said in a statement on Tuesday that she would “seriously consider entering this race, because I believe I am uniquely fit to unite Mainers and defeat Susan Collins in just over 100 days.” Bellows also mounted an unsuccessful campaign in this year’s Maine governor race, and previously ran against Collins in 2014.Valli Geiger, a member of the Maine state House, told The New York Times on Wednesday that she would potentially join the race. She said in an interview with The Maine Wire the same day that Platner had encouraged her to do so and said he would support her. Platner has not yet publicly endorsed any candidate for his replacement.Outgoing Maine Gov. Janet Mills could also be a contender. Having won almost 20% of the vote in the primary against Platner even after suspending her campaign amid his surge in the polls, Mills, who was recruited and backed by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, has not confirmed she will enter the race to replace Platner as the nominee. The 78-year-old did previously say that if she were elected, she would only serve one term. Rep. Jared Golden, who is retiring from the House after representing Maine’s second congressional district in the chamber for three terms, had also been speculated as a potential candidate for the nomination. But on Wednesday, he confirmed that he would not seek it. The name of actor Patrick Dempsey, best known for his role in the medical drama “Grey’s Anatomy,” was floated as well, but he too confirmed that he would not run on Wednesday.