Possible Platner replacements in Maine Senate race have divergent stands on Israel

JTA — Following the implosion of Graham Platner — a harsh critic of Israel who lobbed a parting shot about “genocide” in Gaza in his video Wednesday quitting the Maine Senate race — a number of possible replacements have emerged. And as their names have surfaced, interest and questions about their positions on issues of concern to the Jewish community also have arisen.

There is a significant range of views among the possible candidates on the American Israel Public Affairs Committee pro-Israel lobby, arms sales to Israel and whether there was a genocide in Gaza, based on their past and recent comments.

In statements to JTA, pro-Israel groups Democratic Majority for Israel and the Jewish Democratic Council of America both urged the party to nominate a candidate aligned with their values; Platner had drawn concern from a number of Jewish groups because of his covered-up Nazi tattoo and stance on Israel.

DMFI’s president and CEO, Brian Romick, said he doesn’t understand why progressives had supported “a candidate with so many obvious red flags, including an allegation of sexual assault and a Nazi tattoo.” (Platner has denied the assault allegation and claimed to not know what the tattoo represented when he got it.) He added, “We urge Maine Democrats to nominate a viable candidate who reflects our Democratic values and can actually win.”

The JDCA, meanwhile, wrote that it “never supported Graham Platner because he doesn’t share the values of our community,” and said it hopes to back “a Democratic candidate who reflects the priorities — and morals — of Jewish Americans, and will beat Susan Collins in November.”

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Some of Platner’s former volunteers have said they want his replacement to fit his mold as a progressive and Israel critic who is taking on establishment politics in the effort to unseat GOP Sen. Susan Collins. After Platner dropped out, the Maine Democratic Party announced on Wednesday that to fill the candidate vacancy, it will hold a nominating convention made up of about 600 people selected by county-level Democratic committees. The timing of the convention is not yet clear; the deadline for naming a replacement is July 27.

“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 party said in a statement. “We look forward to coming together and harnessing that energy around our new nominee as we work to defeat Susan Collins in November.”

Here are some of the replacements being mentioned and what they’ve said about Jewish-related issues, Israel and AIPAC. None of the possible nominees responded to JTA’s requests for comment.

Nirav Shah, epidemiologist and healthcare executive

Nirav Shah, who ran for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination in June, finishing second in ranked-choice voting, told Semafor reporter David Weigel on Tuesday that he supports an arms embargo on Israel, and he accuses the country of having committed genocide in Gaza, which Israel vehemently denies. Shah also said that in keeping with his policy, he would not accept funds or an endorsement from AIPAC.

Shah has touted himself as a political outsider like Platner and said Tuesday that he had “no establishment support, and no major political endorsements” when he was running for governor. He has called on possible Platner replacement to participate in a televised debate and “multiple” town halls across the state to make the nomination process transparent.

Troy Jackson, logger and union leader

Troy Jackson, who has backing from the left, had a close political alliance with Platner until calling for him to step aside on Monday and officially launching his campaign for the nomination on Wednesday.

A number of Platner’s supporters have called for the party to nominate Jackson, who finished third behind Shah in the gubernatorial primary. He’s said little publicly related to Israel, but in his run for governor, Jackson had the backing of a number of left-wing, strongly pro-Palestinian politicians, including Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and California Rep. Ro Khanna, as well as Maine’s Democratic Socialists of America chapter.

Sanders’s group Our Revolution and left-wing streamer Hasan Piker — a staunch Israel critic who’s drawn accusations of antisemitism — are both backing Jackson to be the new Senate nominee.

In 2024, at the Maine State Democratic Convention, Jackson, who served as convention chairman, reportedly attempted to quiet down a small group of protesters who called for a ceasefire in Gaza and called Maine Rep. Jared Golden a “war criminal” during a video celebrating the Jewish congressman.

“I believe in the ability of people to demonstrate and protest,” Jackson said amid the outburst. “There is a time for that.”

Jackson, who previously ran unsuccessfully for the House in 2014, is a former Maine state senator and Senate president; he is a member of the Painters and Allied Trades and the Machinists unions.

Shenna Bellows, Maine secretary of state

Before assuming her current role, a position that is appointed by state lawmakers every two years, Shenna Bellows served as the executive director of the Holocaust and Human Rights Center of Maine.

In May, Bellows spoke at the Jewish-Asian Friendship Dinner, hosted by the Jewish Community Alliance of Southern Maine. Bellows said she began working with the JCA during her time leading the Holocaust museum, and said she’d attended numerous events that discussed “many stories of Holocaust survivors and of genocide around the world, and how important it is that we stand up for all of each other, and for unity, and the love that we have for all of each other.”

Bellows also commended the JCA for its response to the surge of Immigration and Customs Enforcement presence over the winter, which included mutual aid to support people who felt unsafe leaving their homes.

Bellows does not appear to have commented extensively on Israel, although she signed Maine Gov. Janet Mills’s 2023 proclamation recognizing the 75th anniversary of the founding of modern Israel that wished the country “a peaceful and prosperous future.”

Jordan Wood, ex-congressional staffer

A former staffer for former California Rep. Katie Porter, Jordan Wood spoke extensively about his views on Israel and AIPAC in an interview as a Senate candidate in Maine last fall. He was the first Democrat to enter the race for Collins’s Senate seat before being overshadowed by Platner and later suspending his campaign to run for the House.

Wood told Democratic commentator Kaivan Shroff that he would support Sanders’s resolution to restrict offensive weapons sales to Israel but backs the continuation of aid to the Jewish state with conditions.

Wood said he believes Israel has committed war crimes in Gaza, but stopped short of accusing the country of genocide, pointing to a connection between that accusation and a rise in antisemitism.

“I’ve hesitated on it because I’m also seeing a real rise in antisemitism in the United States,” Wood said. “My husband is Jewish, and the acts of violence toward Jewish Americans is very much connected to the language that we use.”

Wood added that it would be “a huge deal for the United States Congress to designate what’s going on in Gaza as a genocide officially.”

“There could be consequences to that of US citizens that have served in the IDF,” he said. “Do they get prosecuted?”

Wood also said he would not take money from AIPAC, and added that there is a “huge amount of distrust” of the lobbying organization among Democratic voters.

“I believe the only way to truly prove to a voter that you are voting and prioritizing policies in their best interest, and for our country’s best interest, is to remove any perception of corruption or misdealing,” Wood said.

Dan Kleban, brewery owner

Dan Kleban, who announced on Wednesday that he is back in the race for Senate after having suspended his campaign in October and endorsing Gov. Janet Mills, who dropped out before the primary after trailing in the polls, has a very different approach from Platner to the US-Israel relationship.

In an interview with CNN on Wednesday, Kleban refrained from accusing Israel of committing genocide, instead calling the military campaign in Gaza an “absolute tragedy.” Kleban said he would condition arms sales to Israel.

When Kleban — a political novice and co-founder and co-owner of the Maine Beer Company — first launched his Senate campaign last fall, he told Politico that he did not support the recent resolution from Sanders to block certain arms sales to Israel.

“I believe Israel has a right to defend itself,” he said. “I don’t think that we solve the horrific humanitarian crisis in Gaza by disarming Israel and exposing them to harm.”

Valli Geiger, state representative

Valli Geiger, one of Platner’s most ardent supporters, both before and after the sexual assault allegations were reported, wrote in a Facebook post on Wednesday that Platner told her to put her name forward along with several others as possible candidates to replace him, because he sees her as “a fighter who will work to protect the movement during this transition.”

Her post focused on Platner’s economic platform and did not mention Israel or Jewish-related matters, and she does not appear to have commented much on the issues publicly.

In May, Geiger shared a Facebook post by an environmental page called “Unwaste the Planet,” which criticized US President Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the latter of whom, the post said, “wants Greater Israel.” Geiger shared it with the added caption, “This! Just this!”

She has served in the Maine House of Representatives since 2020.