Maine Democrats say Platner’s campaign is trying to influence replacement process

Graham Platner speaks to voters at a town hall at the Elks Lodge 188 on June 7, 2026 in Portland, Maine.

Laura Brett/Getty Images

Laura Brett/Getty Images

The Maine Democratic Party called out Graham Platner’s team late Tuesday for pushing to influence the process to replace him, should he withdraw from the race for U.S. Senate.

“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,” Maine Democratic Party Executive Director Devon Murphy-Anderson said in a video posted to social media. “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.”

The Platner campaign did not respond to a request for comment, but in a statement to Politico denied it was trying to exert influence.

Pressure is building for Platner to withdraw from the race, following an allegation of sexual assault reported by Politico on Monday.

In the wake of the report, virtually all Democratic Party figures have called for Platner to exit the race and make way for another candidate to work to unseat incumbent GOP Sen. Susan Collins. That drumbeat continued Tuesday when Sen. Bernie Sanders, the Vermont Independent who caucuses with Democrats, said Platner should withdraw. Sanders was one of Platner’s earliest and most high-profile supporters.

Platner has until July 13 to drop out in order for the party to select a new nominee.

The state party has said it is working through what that process would look like — but won’t make it public until Platner formally steps aside.

If Platner doesn’t withdraw by this coming Monday, he’ll remain on the ballot come November.

The stakes are high for Democrats. The party needs to net a total of four seats to win back the majority in the Senate, and Maine is key to that effort. President Trump lost the state in 2024, and party officials believe Collins could be vulnerable in a year when the GOP is facing political headwinds.

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