Democrats competing to replace disgraced Maine Senate nominee Graham Platner embraced key parts of his progressive platform during Thursday\u2019s debate, including abolishing ICE, Medicare for all, economic populism and criticism of Israel.
\nThe debate showed that Platner\u2019s withdrawal following a rape allegation he denies has not produced a corresponding break from the agenda that powered him to a landslide primary victory. Democrats now have eight days to select a replacement to challenge Republican Sen. Susan Collins.
\nAll the candidates vying to replace the now-disgraced Platner called for eliminating ICE during the debate, which was held three days after the fatal shooting of a 25-year-old father in Biddeford, Maine.
\n\u201cNobody deserves to get shot and killed in the streets when their three-year-old daughter is still in her pajamas,\u201d said Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, who unsuccessfully ran for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination.
\nNirav Shah, who was the runner-up in last month\u2019s gubernatorial caucus, said: \u201cI am beyond furious about the murder that happened in our streets.\u201d
\nTRANSGENDER MAINE SENATE CANDIDATE SPARKS ONLINE FRENZY OVER RESPONSE TO DEBATE QUESTION: \u2018CAN\u2019T BE SERIOUS\u2019<\/p>\n
The Department of Homeland Security said the driver attempted to flee and that an officer fired while fearing for public safety. The shooting is being investigated by Maine\u2019s attorney general, the FBI and the DHS inspector general. The man who was killed was not the target of the enforcement action, according to information provided to Maine lawmakers.
\nShah, who directed the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention from 2019 to 2023 and later served as principal deputy director of the federal CDC, pointed to what he called \u201cthe president\u2019s goons\u201d and emphasized, \u201cI don\u2019t think this agency can be reformed. The rot has gone to the core and that\u2019s why we must abolish it.\u201d
\nTroy Jackson, a former Maine Senate president who also ran unsuccessfully for the gubernatorial nomination, said, \u201cI support law enforcement, but ICE is not law enforcement. It\u2019s a rogue agency.\u201d
\nJordan Wood, a former congressional staffer for then-Rep. Katie Porter of California, unsuccessfully ran for the Democratic nomination this year in Maine\u2019s 2nd Congressional District, a crucial swing seat, also called for abolishing ICE. \u201cWe need a new law enforcement agency that has the trust of the people,\u201d he said.
\nDan Kleban, a co-founder of the Maine Beer Company who briefly ran for the Democratic Senate nomination before dropping out, said: \u201cICE needs to be abolished. It is rotten to the core, and it\u2019s irredeemable.\u201d
\nDavid Costello, who ran unsuccessfully for the Senate in 2024 and this year, claimed ICE was a \u201cpolitical instrument\u201d of the Trump administration and joined the chorus, saying \u201cit should absolutely be abolished.\u201d
\nHARRIS CALLS FOR ICE PROBE AFTER MAINE SHOOTING AMID RENEWED \u2018BORDER CZAR\u2019 CRITICISM<\/p>\n
The shooting in Biddeford, which is located about 15 miles southwest of Portland, was the second fatal ICE shooting in a week, following a traffic stop incident in Houston, Texas.
\nFour of the Democratic Senate candidates huddled with protesters in Biddeford hours after the incident, and Shah held a news conference the following day outside a Collins field office located just a few blocks from the scene of the shooting.
\n\u201cHow many more people must die at the hands of Donald Trump\u2019s masked marauders before we finally agree that now is the time to abolish ICE? Now, rather than abolishing it, what Susan Collins has decided to do in recent years is increase the budget,\u201d Shah argued.
\nPlatner\u2019s economic populism and critique of the \u201coligarchy\u201d was also a common theme on the debate stage, as was criticizing Israel and the foreign aid that the country receives.
\nThe candidates were asked point-blank during the debate what ideas from Platner they intend to campaign on.
\n\u201cI think that\u2019s pretty clear. I mean, what Graham talked about is something that I\u2019ve been fighting for since I got into politics, healthcare, Medicare for all,\u201d Jackson responded. \u201cI mean, people in this country deserve to have healthcare. We deserve to have people in government that are not giving tax cuts to the ultra wealthy in this country on the backs of health care. This is something I believe strongly in.\u201d
\nShah said there are \u201ca lot of areas where Graham\u2019s policies and mine overlap\u201d and pointed to ICE as the main area of agreement.
\nWood pointed to \u201chuman rights work\u201d and the need for \u201cPalestinian statehood.\u201d
\nBellows responded by saying, \u201cThe single idea from Graham Platner that spoke most deeply to me is that he\u2019s right, the democracy that we thought we had has been deeply corrupted by those in power in Washington, the billionaires and the massive corporations.\u201d
\nPlatner, a populist Democrat who was backed last September by progressive champion Sen. Bernie Sanders, won the early June Democratic primary in a landslide. A combat veteran and oyster farmer whose campaign caught fire, Platner steamrolled the Democratic establishment. But even as he crushed the competition to capture the nomination, Platner had already been forced on defense in the wake of a slew of scandals.
\nPlatner dropped out earlier this month, amid calls from top Democrats in Maine and across the country to immediately exit the race following an explosive report containing an allegation of rape from a woman he previously dated. Platner denied the claim.<\/p>\n
Facing a July 27 deadline to certify Platner\u2019s replacement, the Maine Democratic Party will hold a July 25 nominating convention in Bangor, where 601 delegates will select the nominee.
\nThirteen candidates filed with the state party by Wednesday to seek the nomination, although one quickly dropped out. The candidates still need to collect the signatures of registered Maine Democrats by July 25 to qualify.<\/p>\n
This post appeared first on https:\/\/www.foxnews.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"