The Maine Democratic Party has accused U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner of attempting to manipulate the process for selecting a replacement nominee, according to Devon Murphy-Anderson, the executive director of the state party. The party is currently working to identify a new candidate for the November midterm elections following allegations of rape made against Platner by an ex-girlfriend.
Murphy-Anderson stated in a video posted on X that Platner's team has repeatedly contacted the party in an effort to influence the selection process. "We have repeatedly reiterated to Graham Platner’s team that they have no role in determining our next Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate, nor in determining what this process looks like," she said. "We have also reiterated that Graham Platner must drop out of this race, so that Democrats in Maine can focus on defeating Susan Collins this November."
The party aims for the replacement process to be "open, inclusive, transparent and fair," Murphy-Anderson added, emphasizing the importance of maintaining confidence in both the process and its outcome.
Platner's campaign, however, has pushed back against the accusations. A spokesperson for the campaign stated that they reached out to the party "to try and understand what this process would look like" and denied any attempt to "put its finger on the scale." The campaign asserts that Platner, who received significant support from over 150,000 Mainers in the primary, would want voters and volunteers, rather than the party establishment, to decide on the path forward.
Platner announced on Monday that he would be taking time away from the campaign trail to consider his next steps. He has denied the rape allegations but faces growing pressure to end his candidacy. The Maine Democratic Party stated it would make its process for selecting a new nominee public once Platner formally withdraws from the race.