Maine Democrats recycle Platner's far-left talking points in scramble to replace disgraced ex-nominee

By Fox News · Fox News

A group of eight Senate contenders running to replace Graham Platner as Maine's Democratic Senate nominee sought to showcase how they align with the disgraced ex-candidate's policy agenda on Thursday night ahead of an upcoming nominating convention in the state. "Graham actually said he voted for me a few years ago," said David Costello, who ran unsuccessfully for the nomination earlier this year and lost to Platner, in response to a question about whether he would carry on any of the policies Platner put forward during his campaign. "How's that?" The answers from the eight participating Democrats showed an effort to capture some of Platner’s momentum and messaging — even as they sought to stake out their own candidacies amid a scramble to find another party nominee. There are 13 running in total, and whichever Democrat is crowned at a Maine Democratic Party convention on July 25, will face off in the midterm elections against longtime GOP Sen. Susan Collins in a high-stakes race that is among roughly a dozen that will determine if Republicans hold their slim Senate majority. Thirteen Democrats filed with the state party by Wednesday to get on the ballot. DEMOCRATS WANT US TO FOCUS ON GRAHAM PLATNER’S POLICIES. HE FAILS MAINE THERE, TOO Jordan Wood, a former congressional chief of staff to Rep. Katie Porter, D-Calif., said Thursday night that Platner’s perspective on the war in Gaza had been particularly transformative. "When I got into this race, I was very hesitant to use the word genocide. To me, when you make that commitment, you have to be ready to go all the way, for the need to put conditions on any future aid to Israel. Graham got into this race, saying, 'this is genocide,'" Wood said. "And I learned that, that it is so important in these moments to draw those moral lines. Voters are looking at you to see what is going on in Gaza, the genocide that Israel is committing, and the need to speak to that. And it's going to be difficult. But it is one thing that…