JTA — Following the implosion of Graham Platner — a harsh critic of Israel who lobbed a parting shot about “genocide” in Gaza in his video Wednesday quitting the Maine Senate race — a number of possible replacements have emerged. And as their names have surfaced, interest and questions about their positions on issues of concern to the Jewish community also have arisen.

There is a significant range of views among the possible candidates on the American Israel Public Affairs Committee pro-Israel lobby, arms sales to Israel and whether there was a genocide in Gaza, based on their past and recent comments.

In statements to JTA, pro-Israel groups Democratic Majority for Israel and the Jewish Democratic Council of America both urged the party to nominate a candidate aligned with their values; Platner had drawn concern from a number of Jewish groups because of his covered-up Nazi tattoo and stance on Israel.

DMFI’s president and CEO, Brian Romick, said he doesn’t understand why progressives had supported “a candidate with so many obvious red flags, including an allegation of sexual assault and a Nazi tattoo.” (Platner has denied the assault allegation and claimed to not know what the tattoo represented when he got it.) He added, “We urge Maine Democrats to nominate a viable candidate who reflects our Democratic values and can actually win.”

The JDCA, meanwhile, wrote that it “never supported Graham Platner because he doesn’t share the values of our community,” and said it hopes to back “a Democratic candidate who reflects the priorities — and morals — of Jewish Americans, and will beat Susan Collins in November.”

Some of Platner’s former volunteers have said they want his replacement to fit his mold as a progressive and Israel critic who is taking on establishment politics in the effort to unseat GOP Sen. Susan Collins. After Platner dropped out, the Maine Democratic Party announced on Wednesday that to fill the candidate vacancy, it will hold a nominating convention made up of about 600 people selected by county-level Democratic committees. The timing of the convention is not yet clear; the deadline for naming a replacement is July 27.

“There is an unprecedented amount of energy and enthusiasm among Maine Democrats, driven in part by many of the dedicated volunteers and supporters who were inspired by Graham Platner’s campaign,” the party said in a statement. “We look forward to coming together and harnessing that energy around our new nominee as we work to defeat Susan Collins in November.”

Here are some of the replacements being mentioned and what they’ve said about Jewish-related issues, Israel and AIPAC. None of the possible nominees responded to JTA’s requests for comment.

Nirav Shah, epidemiologist and healthcare executive

Nirav Shah, who ran for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination in June, finishing second in ranked-choice voting, told Semafor reporter David Weigel on Tuesday that he supports an arms embargo on Israel, and he accuses the country of having committed genocide in Gaza, which Israel vehemently........

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