Maine Democratic Party Director Says Platner’s Team Is Attempting To ‘Put Their Thumb on the Scale’ for Replacement Nominee

The executive director of the Maine Democratic Party, Devon Murphy-Anderson, says Graham Platner’s campaign team is trying to “put their thumb on the scale” to determine who will succeed Mr. Platner as the Democratic nominee for Senate this year. Ms. Murphy-Anderson, along with other top leaders of the party, say Mr. Platner needs to officially drop out of the race before the Monday deadline. On Monday, a bombshell report from Politico disclosed that Mr. Platner had allegedly raped a then-romantic partner, Jenny Racicot, in 2021. He denies the accusation, though Ms. Racicot provided corroborating correspondence and individuals who were aware of the incident long before Mr. Platner launched his Senate campaign in 2025. Shortly after the Politico report was published, Mr. Platner’s top backers — including Senators Chuck Schumer, Kirsten Gillibrand, and Elizabeth Warren, as well as the leadership of the Maine Democratic Party — called on him to officially suspend his campaign. Mr. Platner said on Monday that he was taking time to “reflect” on his candidacy, though he has not made any additional comment since Monday afternoon. On Tuesday, Ms. Murphy-Anderson said in a video posted to X that Mr. Platner’s campaign team was trying to influence the selection process for a new Democratic nominee. So long as Mr. Platner quits the race by the end of the day on Monday, members of the Maine Democratic Party will have the chance to choose a new nominee. If he fails to suspend his campaign by that time, he will remain on the ballot and Democrats’ only option for defeating Senator Susan Collins will be to launch a write-in campaign. “[T]he Maine Democratic Party has been working around the clock to develop a process to replace our U.S. Senate nominee that is open, inclusive, transparent, and fair,” Ms. Murphy-Anderson said Tuesday. “The integrity of this process is just as important as the outcome and we are committed to ensuring that Democrats across our state can have confidence in both.”“Unfortunately, Graham Platner’s team has repeatedly reached out to us in an attempt to put their thumb on the scale of what this process looks like,” she continued. “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.”“We have also reiterated that Graham Plater must drop out of this race so that Democrats in Maine can focus on defeating Susan Collins this November,” she said. As of Wednesday morning, Mr. Platner has been holed up with his wife and some of his campaign staff at his home. He has made no public comment since his refutation of the rape accusation on Monday.“We look forward to making this process public as soon as Graham Platner formally withdraws from this race,” Ms. Murphy-Anderson said in her video message. In the wake of the accusation, several top Maine Democrats have expressed interest in seeking the nomination to face off against Ms. Collins. Former state senate president Troy Jackson, secretary of state Shenna Bellows, and former Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention Nirav Shah — all of whom lost the recent Democratic gubernatorial primary — all say they are interested in seeking the nomination should Mr. Platner withdraw by Monday evening.In a statement Tuesday, Dr. Shah said that any Democrat who wants to be the Senate nominee should commit to at least one primary debate and to holding several town halls across the state before the Democratic Party chooses a new nominee by the end of the month.“As the Maine Democratic Party determines the nominating process, one thing is clear: it should be transparent and open. Mainers should see and hear directly from the candidates vying to represent our state at the highest level,” Dr. Shah said Tuesday.

Maine Democratic Party Director Says Platner’s Team Is Attempting To ‘Put Their Thumb on the Scale’ for Replacement Nominee

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