Maine Democrats Retrofit Old Logos for Senate Race

Maine Democrats are retrofitting existing campaign logos and materials for a last-minute replacement in the U.S. Senate race, following the July 10 withdrawal of former nominee Graham Platner. The party faces a July 25 nominating convention deadline to select a candidate who will challenge Republican Senator Susan Collins in November. Many of the potential nominees have recently run for office, possessing ready-made campaign logos, signs, and sticker designs.

Nirav Shah, a former director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention and runner-up in the June gubernatorial primary, is among the candidates. He is retaining his green and white campaign colors and a logo featuring a pine tree in his last name. Shah's supporters have been seen cutting off the "For Governor" portion of his old stickers and taping over older signs to update them for the Senate race. This strategy aims to leverage existing assets due to the compressed timeline.

Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, who previously ran against Senator Collins in 2014 and unsuccessfully sought the governorship earlier this year, is also a contender for the nomination. Bellows is reportedly dusting off her 12-year-old U.S. Senate campaign logo for her current bid. Her previous gubernatorial campaign logo incorporated a map of Maine and her name in a tall, sans-serif font, elements that may be adapted for her current Senate campaign. The need to reuse these materials highlights the urgency of the nominating process.