Graham Platner Is Being Pushed To Drop Out Of Maine’s Senate Race. He Is Reportedly Trying To Influence His Possible Replacement

Embattled Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner is reportedly attempting to influence who would replace him on the ballot in Maine.

Platner, 41, has faced growing calls to drop out of the race after Jenny Racicot, a woman he had dated, said that he entered her home uninvited in 2021 and sexually assaulted her. Platner has denied the allegation, calling it politically motivated.

Regardless, Platner, a combat veteran and self-described oyster farmer, has seen supporters desert him, including the Maine Democratic Party and prominent members of the party at the national level.

Maine NBC reported that on Tuesday the executive director of the Maine Democratic Party, Devon Murphy-Anderson, sent out an email to members about the matter. In it, he said that Platner’s team was trying to “put their thumb on the scale of what this process looks like.”

In a video posted on X, Murphy-Anderson said that the party had told Platner and his team that they will have not part of the process, while also reiterating that he must drop out of the race.

The Platner campaign denied the characterization that it was attempting to control the process; rather, they told Maine NBC that Platner was concerned about who might replace him.

“The Platner campaign has reached out to the party to try and understand what this process would look like,” the campaign said in a statement to Maine NBC. “At no point has the campaign tried to ‘put its finger on the scale.’ Over 150,000 Mainers voted for this movement, and over 15,000 Mainers volunteered their time and energy to it. 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 race in Maine is considered crucial for a Democratic Party hoping to secure a Senate majority as Republican incumbent Susan Collins is viewed as vulnerable. Republicans currently have a 53-47 advantage. To win a majority, Democrats need to hold all of their seats and flip four this November.

According to Maine law, Platner must withdraw by Monday July 13. The party then can replace him on the ballot. The deadline to choose a new candidate would be July 27.

“We are committed to an open and transparent process, and are meeting with our lawyers again later tonight for another conversation about making sure that every iteration of a process that we bring forth for consideration is in line with Maine law and our party charter,” Murphy-Anderson said in the email provided to the outlet.