Who is Valli Geiger? Meet the Maine Dem in line to replace Graham Platner for the Senate

Maine state Rep.Valli Geiger, a Rockland Democrat, former nurse and former mayor, is drawing sudden national attention after saying Democratic Senate nominee Graham Platner encouraged her to consider taking his place on the ballot in the Maine Senate race.Geiger has not been named the replacement nominee, 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 announced Wednesday evening he was suspending his campaign.After Geiger said Platner called her about potentially putting her name forward, Geiger posted Tuesday 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 claim.Geiger is a third-term Democratic state representative from Rockland, according to her 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 clini...