FACTBOX-Who could replace Maine US Senate candidate Graham Platner?

Maine's Democratic Party is searching for a replacement for U.S. Senate nominee Graham Platner, who dropped out amid a sexual assault allegation, with several candidates emerging as potential nominees.

Maine's Democratic U.S. Senate nominee Graham Platner said on Wednesday ​he would drop out of the race following a sexual assault allegation he has ​denied. The state Democratic Party has until July 27 to name ‌a replacement ​to take on incumbent Republican Susan Collins, in what is seen as one of the most competitive races in the November congressional elections. Here are some candidates who could end up with the nomination:

NIRAV SHAH The former state health director, 49, announced his candidacy on Thursday, positioning himself ‌as a political outsider and lifelong public servant. Shah developed a following during the COVID-19 pandemic when he delivered daily briefings that drew large audiences. He mounted a bid for governor and won the most votes in the June 9 primary, but ended up losing the nomination under the state's ranked-choice voting system, which takes voters' second choices into account. He ran as a "results-driven" technocrat in that race, but has also ‌called for "Medicare for All" — a proposal for a dramatic expansion of public health insurance that has become a rallying cry for the party's left wing. He has said all candidates who ‌want to replace Platner should agree to a televised debate and hold multiple town hall meetings. TROY JACKSON The former state Senate president has moved quickly to claim Platner's populist mantle, portraying himself as a "progressive fighter" when he announced his candidacy for Senate on Wednesday. A fifth-generation logger from remote Allagash, Maine, Jackson, 58, campaigned extensively with Platner during an unsuccessful run for governor and won the backing of U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, an influential figure on the left. Jackson has already won the backing ⁠of a ​Sanders-affiliated group, Our Revolution. As a state legislator, Jackson ⁠pursued progressive policies while representing a conservative and rural part of the state. But his early-career opposition to same-sex marriage and abortion rights may prove problematic for some Democrats, even though he has since shifted his stance.

DAN KLEBAN The 49-year-old co-owner ⁠of microbrewery Maine Beer Company entered the race to replace Platner on Wednesday, telling CNN he hoped to "carry forward Graham's message." Like the other candidates, Kleban is positioning himself as a populist outsider and says he will ​push for new leadership in the Senate if elected. However, Kleban backed Platner's rival, Governor Janet Mills, last year after mounting a brief run for Senate himself. JORDAN WOOD A former congressional ⁠staffer, Wood, 36, announced his Senate campaign on Thursday, saying he would build on Platner's populist movement. "I have been told that I am too progressive, that I am too young, that a gay man can't win," Wood said. "These cynics are wrong." Wood ⁠ran ​unsuccessfully for the Democratic nomination in the state's second U.S. House of Representatives district, coming in third place.

PAIGE LOUD A social worker and political newcomer who worked on Platner's campaign, Loud, 29, said Wednesday she would run for Senate if he dropped out. She came in fourth place in the Democratic primary for the state's second U.S. House of Representatives district in June. SHENNA BELLOWS

Maine's current Secretary ⁠of State, Bellows drew national attention when she ruled that Donald Trump was ineligible to appear on the 2024 Republican primary presidential ballot because he had encouraged his supporters to attack the ⁠U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, in an ⁠attempt to overturn his 2020 election loss. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that she did not have that authority. She was the Democratic Party Senate nominee in 2014 but lost to Collins by nearly 40 percentage points. Bellows, 51, ran for governor this year, coming in fourth place in the June ‌primary. As of Thursday, she had ‌not said whether she would enter the Senate race.