(The Hill) — On Wednesday, the owner of a Maine brewery announced his candidacy to replace Graham Platner as the Democratic Senate candidate after Platner faced accusations of rape and subsequently withdrew from the race.
Dan Kleban, who owns the Maine Beer Company located in Freeport, declared his interest in pursuing the nomination through a Substack post on Wednesday. Kleban had initially paused his Senate campaign last October to throw his support behind Maine Governor Janet Mills.
Governor Mills later ended her own campaign in April, citing financial constraints. This withdrawal left Platner unchallenged in the Democratic primary.
Kleban shared his motivations in the post, stating, “I’ve engaged with many Mainers over a pint in our taproom and across our community. People are exhausted with a system that’s been manipulated by corporate entities, and we’re fed up with Washington insiders and New York City consultants dictating our representation.”
He continued with a call for change, saying, “It’s time for fresh leadership in Washington, unencumbered by the establishment that has continually let us down.”
Kleban says now is the time to join the field of candidates for consideration to replace Platner after two of Platner’s ex-girlfriends came forward accusing him of rape earlier this week.
The allegations led to more than a dozen Democratic Senators and aligned groups to withdraw their endorsement for Platner’s campaign.
Platner’s supporters have pushed for someone with similar ideals to replace him as the Democratic nominee, although he hasn’t officially suspended his campaign.
Kleban, who previously raised $458,786 for the Democratic primary, holds policy positions that are similar to Platner’s agenda.
“Over the next two weeks, we need an open, transparent process to select our nominee. I’m ready to fight for Mainers and bring a new generation of leadership to Washington. I believe I can unite our party and finally defeat Susan Collins in November,” he wrote in the Substack post.
Other potential replacements for Platner include former Maine Senate President Troy Jackson, Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) director Nirav Shah, former state senator and executive director for the Maine branch of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) Shenna Bellows and Jordan Wood, the former chief of staff to ex-Rep. Katie Porter (D-Calif.).