2026-07-08T19:40:16-04:00 / 福克斯新闻
盖格在脸书发文称不会“把格雷厄姆扔下车”，此前普拉特纳周一晚间致电她
作者：亚历克·舍梅尔 福克斯新闻
发布于 2026年7月8日 美国东部时间晚上7:40
记者称普拉特纳事件可能给民主党带来“永久性伤害”
《国家评论》资深作家诺亚·罗斯曼在《时事秀》节目中探讨了民主党在性侵指控问题上立场的转变。
缅因州州众议员瓦利·盖格是来自罗克兰的民主党人，曾担任护士和市长。在身陷困境的民主党参议院候选人格雷厄姆·普拉特纳鼓励她考虑在自己退选后替代他参选缅因州参议院席位后，她突然受到全国关注。
盖格尚未被提名为替代候选人，普拉特纳也尚未正式退出竞选。不过，在她告诉当地媒体WMTW称普拉特纳周一晚间致电她，称赞她是一名“斗士”，并询问能否提名她参选后，她的名字进入了缅因州参议院竞选的角逐名单。普拉特纳的竞选团队告诉该媒体，他尚未做出背书决定，但证实如果他退选，他曾鼓励盖格考虑参选。
在盖格透露普拉特纳致电她讨论提名参选的可能性后，她于周二发帖称，她不会“把格雷厄姆扔下车”，同时表示她不会“诽谤或指控”指控普拉特纳强奸的珍妮·拉西科特“做了任何违背她所经历的真相的事”。
到周三时，当地媒体报道称，盖格表示普拉特纳曾鼓励她在自己退选后考虑参选。普拉特纳已否认相关指控。
如果普拉特纳退选，接下来会发生什么？以下是谁可以替代他参选以及具体流程
格雷厄姆·普拉特纳（左） 缅因州州众议员瓦利·盖格（右）（缅因州州议会/盖蒂图片社）
根据她的官方立法履历，盖格是来自罗克兰的第三届民主党州众议员，代表缅因州沿海的一个众议院选区，该选区包括罗克兰、克里夫文镇、马蒂尼卡斯岛种植园、马斯尔里奇群岛、北黑文和猫头鹰角的部分区域。她的履历显示，她任职于劳工委员会以及能源、公用事业和技术委员会。
在进入州议会之前，盖格在罗克兰市议会任职六年，其中包括担任一年市长，还在罗克兰综合规划委员会任职四年，其中三年担任主席。
她的履历显示，她拥有可持续设计硕士学位，并建造了自己的被动式太阳能净零能耗住宅。文中还介绍她曾是彭湾医疗中心的护士，后来担任健康政策分析师和医疗行政人员，包括担任健康临终关怀项目主任以及缅因州各地联邦合格健康中心的临床主任。
2026年5月18日，缅因州奥古斯塔的缅因州议会大厦（乔·雷德尔/盖蒂图片社摄）
缅因州民主党人士指控：普拉特纳团队为影响潜在替代人选“干预程序”
盖格与普拉特纳的联系早于此次替代人选的猜测。当地报道称她是普拉特纳的亲密支持者，WMTW报道称她此前曾与普拉特纳站在一起，并称赞他帮助缅因州获得了强奸试剂盒追踪的资金。
在她回应拉西科特指控的脸书帖子中，盖格写道，拉西科特的说法“似乎可信”，但补充道“我们无人知晓真相，也永远不会知道”。她还将普拉特纳描述为“一个正在变得更好的人”，称她曾希望他能领导其竞选团队所构建的政治运动，并且不会“把格雷厄姆扔下车”。
在该帖子中，盖格还赞扬了普拉特纳“对经济民粹主义的热情”，并称她曾在她所称的普拉特纳多次部署后的“黑暗岁月”里，对他的行为“给予了极大的宽容”。
缅因州疾病控制与预防中心主任尼拉夫·D·沙阿博士在奥古斯塔的缅因州应急管理机构举行的新冠疫情新闻发布会上发言（德里克·戴维斯/波特兰新闻先驱报员工照片 via 盖蒂图片社）
【点击此处下载福克斯新闻APP】
在缅因州民主党为普拉特纳退出对阵共和党参议员苏珊·柯林斯的竞选做准备之际，这位州众议员并非唯一一位名字被提及的民主党人。
多名民主党人已表示有兴趣或正在考虑参选，包括前州长候选人特洛伊·杰克逊、州务卿申娜·贝洛斯以及前缅因州疾控中心主任尼拉夫·沙阿。
根据缅因州法律，如果普拉特纳在7月13日下午5点前正式退出民主党候选人提名，缅因州民主党可以通过党内程序选出新候选人来替换他出现在大选 ballot 上，新候选人必须在7月27日前选定。
福克斯新闻数字频道的安德鲁·马克·米勒和保罗·斯坦豪瑟对本文亦有贡献。
亚历克·舍梅尔是福克斯新闻数字频道的政治记者，原籍北卡罗来纳州夏洛特，现居住在华盛顿特区-巴尔的摩都会区。
Who is Valli Geiger? Meet the Maine Dem that Platner is urging to run for Senate
2026-07-08T19:40:16-04:00 / Fox News
Geiger wrote on Facebook she would not ‘throw Graham under the bus’ after Platner called her Monday night
By Alec Schemmel Fox News
Published July 8, 2026 7:40pm EDT
Platner saga could leave ‘lasting damage’ on the Democratic Party, journalist says
National Review senior writer Noah Rothman discusses the Democratic Party’s changing stance on sexual assault allegations on ‘The Story.’
Maine state Rep. Valli Geiger, a Rockland Democrat, former nurse and former mayor, is drawing sudden national attention after saying embattled Democratic Senate nominee Graham Platner encouraged her to consider taking his place on the ballot in the Maine Senate race if he withdraws.
Geiger has not been named the replacement nominee, and Platner has not formally dropped out. However, her name entered the Maine Senate scramble after she told local outlet WMTW that Platner called her Monday night, praised her as a “fighter,” and asked whether he could put her name forward. Platner’s campaign told the outlet he had not made an endorsement decision, but confirmed he encouraged Geiger to consider running if he stepped aside.
After Geiger said Platner called her about potentially putting her name forward, Geiger posted Tuesday that she would not “throw Graham under the bus,” while also saying she would not “slander or accuse” Jenny Racicot, the woman who accused Platner of rape, “of anything more than telling the truth as she experienced it.”
By Wednesday, local outlets were reporting that Geiger said Platner had encouraged her to consider running if he withdrew. Platner has denied the allegation.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT IF PLATNER DROPS OUT? HERE’S WHO COULD REPLACE HIM ON THE BALLOT AND HOW IT COULD WORK
Graham Platner (left) Maine State Rep. Valli Geiger (right)(Maine State Legislature/Getty Images)
Geiger is a third-term Democratic state representative from Rockland, according to her official legislative biography, representing a coastal House district in Maine that includes Rockland, Criehaven Township, Matinicus Isle Plantation, the Muscle Ridge Islands, North Haven and part of Owls Head. Her biography says she serves on the Labor Committee and the Energy, Utilities and Technology Committee.
Before entering the state legislature, Geiger served six years on the Rockland City Council, including one year as mayor, and four years on the Rockland Comprehensive Planning Commission, three of them as chair.
Her biography says she holds a master’s degree in sustainable design and built her own passive-solar, net-zero-energy house. It also describes her as a former nurse at Pen Bay Medical Center who later worked as a health policy analyst and health administrator, including as director of the Healthreach Hospice program and clinical director for Federally Qualified Health Centers around Maine.
The Maine State Capitol is seen on May 18, 2026, in Augusta, Maine.(Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
PLATNER CAMPAIGN PUTTING ‘THUMB ON SCALE’ TO INFLUENCE POSSIBLE REPLACEMENT, MAINE DEM ALLEGES
Geiger’s connection to Platner predates the latest replacement speculation. Local reporting has described her as a close Platner supporter, and WMTW reported she previously stood with him and credited him with helping secure funding for rape-kit tracking in Maine.
In her Facebook post responding to Racicot’s allegation, Geiger wrote that Racicot’s story “seems credible,” but added that “none of us knows the truth nor will we ever.” She also described Platner as “a man becoming a better man” and said she had hoped he would lead the political movement his campaign had built and will not “throw Graham under the bus.”
In the post, Geiger also praised Platner’s “passion for economic populism” and said she had granted him “an enormous amount of grace” for his behavior during what she described as his “dark years” after multiple deployments.
Dr. Nirav D. Shah, director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, speaks during a press conference about COVID-19 at Maine Emergency Management Agency in Augusta.(Staff photo by Derek Davis/Portland Press Herald via Getty Images)
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The Maine state representative is not the only Democrat whose name has surfaced as Maine Democrats prepare for the possibility that Platner exits the race against Republican Sen. Susan Collins.
Several Democrats have expressed interest or are considering bids, including former gubernatorial candidate Troy Jackson, Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, and former Maine CDC Director Nirav Shah.
Under Maine law, if Platner formally withdraws as the Democratic nominee by 5 p.m. on July 13, the Maine Democratic Party can replace him on the general election ballot by selecting a new nominee through its party process, with the replacement required to be chosen by July 27.
Fox News Digital’s Andrew Mark Miller and Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.
Alec Schemmel is a Politics Reporter for Fox News Digital who is originally from Charlotte, North Carolina but now resides in the Washington D.C.-Baltimore Metro Area.
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