This story is adapted from the Slatest newsletter. You can sign up here to get it in your inbox every day.

This year’s U.S. Senate election in Maine is arguably the most important race in the country, with control of the chamber hanging in the balance. But any Democrat who hopes to replace Susan Collins, the state’s long-serving Republican senator, must first win the race to replace Graham Platner, the gravel-voiced oyster farmer whose problematic (to put it mildly) past forced him to withdraw as the Democratic nominee. Here’s what you need to know about the 12 candidates in the running.

Indeed. Last year, few Maine Democrats leapt to challenge Collins. But now the field is crowded, and the top contenders all fell short in other Maine races this year. Three initially ran for governor: Troy Jackson, a progressive former state senator; Nirav Shah, a former Biden CDC official; and Shenna Bellows, Maine’s secretary of state. Two others—a brewery owner named Dan Kleban and an environmental consultant named David Costello—unsuccessfully ran against Platner. Jordan Wood, a former congressional staffer, first ran for Senate, then for the House, and is now back in the Senate race. Other entrants include a trans woman named Ashley Webb and a gloriously bearded Marine vet. A 13th candidate—Paige Loud, a progressive social worker—has already dropped out.

OK cool, but I’m not memorizing a dozen names. Who are the favorites here?

That would probably be........

© Slate