Graham Platner’s Campaign Says It Contacted State Party To Discuss Process If He Drops Out

Graham Platner’s campaign said it had reached out to the Maine Democratic Party to discuss the process for replacing him if he were to drop out of the state’s U.S. Senate race.

The acknowledgment came after the state party accused the campaign of improperly trying to influence that succession process, and it’s the clearest indication yet Platner is considering leaving the race after saying Monday he was “taking the time to reflect” on his bid for Senate.

Devon Murphy-Anderson, the party’s executive director, said in a Tuesday night press release and social media video that Platner’s campaign staff had repeatedly reached out to the state party in an attempt to “put their thumb on the scale” in selecting his replacement.

“We’ve 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,” Murphy-Anderson 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.”

A spokesperson for the Platner campaign who refused to comment on the record said the campaign “at no point” tried to “put its finger on the scale.”

“The Platner campaign has reached out to the party to try and understand what this process would look like,” the spokesperson said in a statement.

The campaign spokesperson noted that Platner had received more than 150,000 votes in last month’s primary and that more than 15,000 volunteers have lent their support to his bid: “While Graham wouldn't want to be a part of the process, he would want to make sure the voters and volunteers make this decision — not the political establishment.”

The state Democratic Party was neutral in the primary between Platner, Gov. Janet Mills and 2024 candidate David Costello. But the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee had gone against him, initially backing Mills’ candidacy.

The intraparty faceoff comes after months of Democratic Party wins in battleground states across the primary map – and an anti-establishment avalanche that stretched from New York to Colorado. Now the party seems to be at war with itself once again, just as it had appeared to recover from former Vice President Kamala Harris’ 2024 loss shortly after then President Joe Biden dropped his own reelection bid.

Platner has faced calls from much of his party to drop out after POLITICO exclusively reported Monday that a woman he dated accused him of sexually assaulting her nearly five years ago. Platner denied the allegations, saying they were “troubling, serious and false.” But he said in a campaign video that he was “taking time to reflect” on whether to continue his candidacy, and his campaign has canceled fundraisers and pulled down ads.

Under Maine law, if Platner were to withdraw from the race by 5 p.m. on Monday, it would be up to the Maine Democratic Party to pick his replacement.

Earlier Tuesday, POLITICO reported that Platner and his allies were working to shape the nomination process by ensuring the state Democratic Party did not pick a member of the “establishment.” Two of Platner’s preferred potential successors are former gubernatorial candidate Troy Jackson, who came in third in the Democratic primary last month, and state Rep. Valli Geiger. Both of them endorsed and campaigned with Platner during the primary.

One person familiar with the discussions between Platner’s campaign and its progressive allies, granted anonymity to discuss private deliberations, told POLITICO that Platner would stay in the race unless his replacement came from his wing of the party.

Many potential candidates and officials called for an open process on Tuesday. Nirav Shah, who came in third in the Democratic gubernatorial primary last month, said any potential successors should participate in a debate.

If Platner drops out, Maine Democrats would have until July 27 to name a new candidate.

Both Democrats and Republicans in Maine have used the process to replace candidates for lower-profile state legislative races in the past, often when there has not been a contested primary. But replacing a candidate in a U.S. Senate race in the state is unprecedented.