SCARBOROUGH, Maine (AP) 鈥� Democrat Graham Platner has so far been mum on whether he’ll drop out of the Maine U.S. Senate race after a former girlfriend .
Platner, who denies the allegation, has faced considerable pressure from his own party to quit the race. The first-time candidate also has been accused of trying to influence how his replacement is selected 鈥� a claim he also denies.
The question marks around Platner have left a crucial U.S. Senate race unsettled just months before the November midterm elections. The Maine Democratic Party, which by law is responsible for naming a replacement, has not said how it plans on going about selecting a possible successor. Meanwhile, potential contenders have already begun .
Here’s what we know about the Maine Senate race and what could be next:
The clock is ticking
According to Maine law, there’s a narrow provision for replacing general election candidates. Platner would need to ,step aside voluntarily by 5 p.m. July 13 before any other contender can be considered. So far, Platner has only committed to pausing his campaign.
Should he quit the race, the law then says the Maine Democratic Party has the authority to choose a replacement, which must be done by July 27.
However, what that process would actually look like remains unknown. It could come down to a vote by the state committee, a caucus, or even some sort of state political convention.
It’s incredibly rare for a general election candidate to bow out of a race, in Maine or elsewhere, meaning party officials are scrambling to complete a plan if and when Platner announces he’ll withdraw.
The Maine Democratic Party said Tuesday it will make the process public as soon as Platner officially withdraws.
Platner campaign denies trying to influence the process
A key question surrounding whether and how Platner is replaced has come down to just how much leverage the oyster farmer and Marine veteran has in this situation.
On Tuesday, the Maine Democratic Party’s executive director, Devon Murphy-Anderson, released a statement accusing Platner鈥檚 campaign of repeatedly trying to 鈥減ut their thumb on the scale鈥� in determining the next Democratic nominee.
鈥淲e have repeatedly reiterated to Graham Platner鈥檚 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,鈥� she said.
Platner’s team responded with a statement saying 鈥渁t no point has the campaign tried to 鈥榩ut its finger on the scale'” but instead is trying to understand the process. Thousands of Maine residents voted and volunteered for Platner, a progressive who outlasted establishment-backed Gov. Janet Mills, which the campaign believes should count in the decision.
List of possible replacements continues to grow
One possible contender, Nirav Shah, former director of Maine鈥檚 Center for Disease Control and Prevention, has said he was 鈥渆valuating鈥� whether to join the race. Shah said he鈥檚 been in contact with the Maine Democratic Party about ensuring a possible replacement process is based on 鈥渙penness, transparency and robustness.鈥�
Another possible replacement is Troy Jackson, Maine鈥檚 former state Senate president, who unsuccessfully ran to be the Democratic nominee for governor earlier this year with the backing of Platner and Our Revolution, the political organization started by Sen. Bernie Sanders. Jackson filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission on Tuesday to launch a Senate exploratory committee.
Jordan Wood, a former U.S. Senate candidate who then switched to run for Maine鈥檚 2nd District and lost, posted Tuesday that he was 鈥渃ontinuing conversations鈥� with voters about joining the race.
Other names circulating include Shenna Bellows, the current Maine secretary of state; Dan Kleban, founder of Maine Beer Co.; and Hannah Pingree, now Maine’s Democratic nominee for governor.
Voters say they are disillusioned
Platner鈥檚 campaigned galvanized hundreds of volunteers around the state. This week, they鈥檝e been expressing disappointment about the behavior Platner is accused of and pondering the right course of action.
Many have called for him to drop out.
Paul Attardo, 64, of Scarborough, said he can鈥檛 continue supporting Platner after the allegation, though he still has a sign promoting the candidate at the end of his driveway. He called the accusation 鈥渄isappointing鈥� as well as 鈥渋ndisputably sincere,鈥� and said the party needs to get to work finding a replacement.
The scenario reminded Attardo of the hasty replacement of Joe Biden during the 2024 election campaign.
鈥淲e rally behind somebody, and not unlike the Biden administration, when everybody rallied behind Joe Biden, at the eleventh hour that failed,” he said. 鈥淚 sort of feel we鈥檙e in a similar boat.鈥�
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Kruesi reported from Providence, R.I.
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