By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2026-07-18 16:48:40 | Updated at 2026-07-27 03:27:04
1 week ago
Transgender and intersex Maine Senate candidate Ashley Webb sent social media astir after citing her ability to write songs as a qualification during a debate Thursday.
'What qualifications do you have to serve in the US Senate?' a moderator asked the outsized underdog attempting to replace Graham Platner.
'I ran for office several times, didn't win, but I did run and then, I'm a songwriter and then I write my own books,' Webb responded, with a laugh.
She went on to cite her 'transparency.'
'I wouldn't lie to people and I wouldn't deceive the people, like, we're being deceived right now, like we get lied to, smoke and mirrors, like what's going on with ICE.'
The moment immediately went viral on X, after the Republican National Committee's official account shared it to highlight its absurdity. The post has received more than 3 million views.
'Surely you can’t be serious…' conservative commentator Dave Rubin wrote.
Another right-leaning X account cited what they saw as 'The absolute state of Decay in Maine…'
Transgender and intersex Maine Senate candidate Ashley Webb went viral for a response during a debate meant to determine the Democrat who will replace Graham Platner.
From left, Senate candidates David Costello, Elizabeth Dickerson, Dan Kleban and Webb at the televised debate
'Sounds like part of the script from Napoleon Dynamite!' someone joked.
'WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON IN MAINE???!!!' Citizens Alliance CEO Cliff Maloney asked.
Webb is one of 12 Democrats vying to replace oyster farmer Platner, following his suspension last week in the wake of rape allegations, which he denies.
According to her Amazon profile, Webb has written two books: a memoir that highlights her transition and gender identity, and a cookbook focused on meals under 600 calories.
Webb promoted the memoir with an AI-rendered image of a young woman whose appearance is noticeably different from her own.
Her website vows to run a campaign that seeks to make healthcare affordable, protect workers, hold corporations to account, and maintain rural infrastructure.
She said during the debate that she would not back US taxpayers' money being sent to Israel.
'I'll always stand against occupation and unjustified military aggression,' Webb told moderators Rob Caldwell and Phil Hirschkorn.
The Daily Mail contacted Webb for comment.
The candidates are vying to replace Graham Platner. A former girlfriend of the oyster farmer-turned Senate candidate said he entered her Maine home without permission and raped her in 2021
A report from Politico earlier this month saw 41-year-old Jenny Racicot allege that Platner entered her Maine home without permission and raped her in 2021.
The allegations were the latest against him after three former romantic partners told The New York Times that they were subject to disturbing behavior from Platner, also 41, during their relationships.
One of the women was Racicot, she revealed in a CNN interview on July 6.
Platner also had a tattoo recognized as a Nazi SS symbol earlier this year.
