BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 15, The news station hosting a Democratic U.S. Senate debate in Maine on Thursday has confirmed that eight declared candidates will now participate, after campaigns pushed for broader inclusion following an initial plan that excluded half of the field.
Dan Kleban, co-founder of Maine Beer Company and one of the candidates, announced in a social media post late Tuesday that he had accepted the invitation and looked forward to exchanging ideas with the other candidates.
The expanded lineup is significant for former Maine Senate President Troy Jackson, who publicly called on News Center Maine to allow every declared candidate to take part in the 90-minute debate. Originally, the station had invited only candidates who received at least 20% of the vote in last month’s primary elections. Of nine Democrats vying to replace Graham Platner as the party’s nominee, only four had met that threshold: Jackson, Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, former Maine Center for Disease Control Director Nirav Shah, and ex-congressional aide Jordan Wood.
The debate is crucial as Collins is the only Republican incumbent facing reelection in a state carried by Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris in 2024. Republicans hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate, making Maine a key battleground for Democrats seeking to regain control.
Other candidates who did not meet the original threshold include social worker Paige Loud and former political aide David Costello. Kleban, former state Representative Elizabeth Dickerson, and Ashley Webb, a transgender and intersex woman, were not on the ballot last month. News Center Maine confirmed that all candidates filed to run by the close of business on Tuesday were invited, although Webb will not participate. Kleban stated that prior candidacy for different offices should not prevent qualified candidates from debating.
