Party filing deadline is May 31. No Republican is even on the radar according to the green Pages.
Candidate list (4)
Candidate Democratic Folasade Adeluola
• FEC S8VT00117
Candidate Democratic
Jon Svitavsky
• FEC S8VT00133
Candidate Peoples
Jasdeep Pannu
• FEC S8VT00125
Candidate Independent Senator Bernard “Bernie” Sanders
• FEC S4VT00033; 31 Mar 18; Tot $5,416,744; Dsb $2,315,255
Ballotpedia also lists another independent Brad Peacock whose webpage does not post any positions.
We should never leave a nomination vacant even if there is no chance at beating the incumbent. In this case he is 74 years old. If he were to drop dead on June 1st, we would have pissed away an easy opportunity.
In Maine we have a Republican and a Dem running against Angus King. Some in the party are not happy with the Republican and a lot of dems don’t like their guy running to the left of Angus. Angus is 72 but fit as a fiddle. As an independent he cannot be replaced if something happens to him leaving two relatively lightweight candidates to duke it out.
Sanders will be 77 in a few months.