Graham Platner, Maine's embattled Democratic Senate nominee, faces a rebellion from his own party over attempts to shape the process for replacing him, even as he claims he is still deciding whether to stay in the race.
Platner has said he is "taking the time to reflect on the best path forward" following a sexual assault allegation published Monday, which he denies. The revelation triggered demands from major Democratic figures, including Senator Bernie Sanders and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, that he withdraw from the contest.
On Tuesday, Devon Murphy-Anderson, executive director of the Maine Democratic Party, drew a hard line. Platner's team, she said, had repeatedly tried to "put their thumb on the scale" of the replacement process. "They have no role in determining our next Democratic nominee for the US Senate, nor in determining what this process looks like," Murphy-Anderson stated, adding that the party would make its selection procedure public only after Platner formally exits the race.
The Platner campaign did not respond to requests for comment.
State Senator Joe Baldacci, who lost a primary race of his own, was blunter. After Platner "put the Democratic Party in a shambles," Baldacci wrote, he should have "no say in who will be your successor." Baldacci suggested Platner would carry "a lead weight" into any general election.
Platner's grip on the nomination is rapidly loosening. Under Maine law, he must formally withdraw by July 13 at 5 p.m. ET for Democrats to name a replacement by July 27. Several major figures have already signaled interest in taking his place on the ballot.
Former Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention deputy director Nirav Shah, Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, and former state senate president Troy Jackson all ran in last month's gubernatorial primary and are now being mentioned as potential Senate nominees. Jordan Wood, a former congressional staffer who briefly challenged Platner before losing a House primary, has been fielding calls about entering the Senate race.
The nominee will face five-term Republican Senator Susan Collins in November, an election Democrats view as central to regaining Senate control. Platner's collapse has freed multiple ambitious Democrats to pursue what many see as a genuine opportunity against Collins.
Author James Rodriguez: "When a nominee's own party stops pretending he has a voice in what comes next, the math is usually done."
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