Maine Democrats are rushing to come up with a plan to quickly replace Graham Platner, their embattled Senate nominee, if he ends his campaign in the wake of a rape allegation that has left him hemorrhaging support from longtime allies.
Platner has denied the allegation, made by a woman he previously dated, and has not said whether he plans to leave the race. After CNN and Politico reported the assault allegation Monday, Platner said he would “reflect on the best path forward” for his Senate bid.
On Tuesday, Devon Murphy-Anderson, executive director of the Maine Democratic Party, sent an e-mail to committee members indicating the party was meeting with its attorneys to determine next steps for a potential nominee replacement process.
“The Maine Democratic Party has been working around the clock to develop a process to replace our US Senate nominee that is open, inclusive, transparent, and fair,” Murphy-Anderson said in a video released Tuesday night. “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.”
Murphy-Anderson also accused Platner’s team of attempting to “put their thumb on the scale of what this process looks like,” noting his team has repeatedly reached out to the party committee.
“We’ve repeatedly reiterated to Graham Platner’s team that they have no role in determining our next Democratic nominee for the US 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. We look forward to making this process public as soon as Graham Platner formally withdraws from this race.”
Responding to the state party, a Platner campaign spokesperson told CNN it “has reached out to the party to try and understand what this process would look like. At no point has the campaign tried to ‘put its finger on the scale.’”
“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 spokesperson added.
Amid mounting calls for him to quit, including from notable progressive backers such as Sen. Bernie Sanders, several Maine Democrats have said they are weighing running if he exits the race.
The next few weeks will be critical for Democrats as they try to rescue their effort to win the seat and flip control of the Senate. Maine is the only state former Vice President Kamala Harris won in her 2024 presidential campaign that now has a Republican senator up for reelection. But incumbent Sen. Susan Collins has shown an ability to defy the political odds, and has previously defeated several Democrats who weren’t weighed down by controversies.
Maine Democratic Party officials are aiming to have “an open, transparent process,” and ideas floated include a mini convention or caucus, the source familiar with the matter said.
If Platner withdraws from the race before 5 p.m. ET Monday, the Maine party would have until July 27 to submit a replacement name to the secretary of state.
State law doesn’t specify how parties must choose their candidate, but the party would be under considerable pressure to give voters a voice, avoiding the political fallout surrounding Harris’ presidential bid after she replaced then-President Joe Biden as the nominee in 2024. Already, Platner’s former allies on the left are stressing that any replacement should echo the current nominee’s progressive, anti-establishment politics.
A number of Democrats who have previously run for higher office in the state are considering seeking the Senate nomination if it becomes available, sources told CNN. Former gubernatorial candidates Troy Jackson, a past state Senate president, and Shenna Bellows, Maine’s secretary of state, are both considering running, according to sources familiar with their thinking. Jackson filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission to create an exploratory campaign Tuesday.
In an interview Tuesday with CNN’s Erin Burnett, Jackson acknowledged the short timeline there would be if Platner withdraws. “Short timeline, obviously money and all that. It’s gonna be a challenge, but I definitely think it’s doable,” he said.
Rep. Jared Golden, who announced last year he wouldn’t seek reelection to Maine’s competitive 2nd Congressional District, has received “many, many calls urging him to run,” a source close to the congressman told CNN. But on Tuesday night, a spokesperson for Golden closed the door on a Senate run.
“If Congressman Golden wanted the nomination, he would have put his name forward many months ago,” Mario Moretto, the Golden spokesperson, said.
Dan Kleban, the founder of Maine Beer Company who briefly sought the Senate nomination, is also “seriously weighing” a campaign, a source close to him told CNN.
“Violence and abuse have no place in our politics or our society, and for the sake of our state, he needs to step aside immediately,” Kleban wrote in a column on Substack, where he renewed a previous campaign blueprint. “Mainers deserve leaders who will fight for them against the DC establishment while also doing what’s right.”
Nirav Shah, a former director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention who also sought the governor nomination, said he is evaluating whether he should seek the Senate nomination. He stressed that Maine voters should hear directly from the candidates and said that anyone running for the nomination should commit to at least one televised debate and hold multiple town halls.
“I am committed to doing that, if I run,” he wrote. “Defeating Collins means showing up everywhere and speaking with everyone.”
State Sen. Joe Baldacci, who came in second place in the Democratic primary for the 2nd Congressional District, told CNN he isn’t jumping into the race but is “going to see how things shake out.”
He noted that while some potential candidates are putting their names out there, Platner hasn’t dropped out. “I know people feel that it’s imminent, but I don’t think that it’s definite,” Baldacci said.
Another potential contender is two-term Gov. Janet Mills, though it’s unclear after her initial lackluster Senate bid how much support she could generate. Mills lost the nomination to Platner last month after suspending her campaign in April. CNN has reached out to Mills’ team.
Platner’s campaign has faced scrutiny over several moments from his past, including over a now-covered tattoo with Nazi origins, controversial since-deleted posts, and allegations of unsettling behavior toward women.
Jenny Racicot told CNN on Monday that Platner entered her home without permission and raped her while he was heavily intoxicated nearly five years ago when they were in a casual dating relationship. Platner denies the allegation.
After CNN and Politico reported on the allegation, several prominent Platner allies called for him to leave the race, including Sanders, Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ruben Gallego, and state and national grassroots groups.
Platner’s campaign hasn’t detailed his next steps, but a person close to the campaign said they think the candidate “knows it’s over” but he wants to “use the movement he created” to influence who will replace him.
It’s not clear what process the Maine Democratic Party would use to select a new nominee if Platner exits the race.
A convention or caucuses in a small nominating window could benefit candidates who already have strong support bases they can quickly mobilize, said Toby McGrath, a longtime Maine Democratic strategist.
Jackson, who was also endorsed by Sanders and campaigned alongside Platner, has support among labor groups, McGrath said. Bellows, like Platner, was endorsed by the Maine People’s Alliance, a progressive grassroots group.
“It really comes down to who has the best organization, and those two folks — Shenna Bellows and Troy Jackson — just ran and they actually have a grassroots following,” McGrath said. “And if you can bring more people to a caucus, that’s how you win.”
But other potential candidates could benefit from their distance from the current nominee. The source close to Kleban noted he never endorsed Platner.
“Dan has never talked to Graham in his life,” the source said. “I think other candidates will be tarnished by their close connection to Graham.”
There’s also a question of what influence Platner would have in the process to choose a new nominee. Platner would not be able to pick his replacement if he exits the race, and his endorsement would almost certainly be unwelcome by candidates. But he could play a role in uniting the party behind a new candidate.
“If, as Graham said, he’s creating a movement, I think his responsibility and his duty to that movement is to talk to those people and convince them to do what’s right for that movement, which would be getting behind the Democratic nominee,” McGrath said.
This headline and story have been updated with additional details.
CNN’s Jeff Zeleny and Alison Main contributed to this report.
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