WASHINGTON — Graham Platner seems not to like taking no for an answer.
The head of the Maine Democratic Party accused the embattled Senate candidate and alleged rapist late Tuesday of trying to put his “thumb on the scale” as the party scrambles to find a replacement ahead of the November election.
“[T]he 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. 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,” MDP Executive Director Devon Murphy-Anderson said in a video posted on X.
“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,” Murphy-Anderson revealed.
“We have 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 continued. “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.”
Privately, the Platner campaign has tried to condition his dropping out on assurances that his replacement shares his far-left ideology, The Post reported.
Platner has until 5 p.m. Monday to remove himself from the ballot, with the party having exactly two weeks to name his successor if he does so.
Platner’s campaign rebuked Murphy-Anderson’s claims, with a spokesperson saying: “The Platner campaign 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.
“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.”
Platner, 41, announced Monday he would be taking time away from the campaign trail to consider the “best path forward” after being accused of rape by a former girlfriend, Jenny Racicot.
The Senate hopeful has denied the allegation, but is facing mounting calls to end his campaign, with former supporters Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), calling on him to step aside.
Key financial backers, including the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC), have threatened to stay out of the Maine Senate race if Platner refuses to drop out.
Under Maine law, the process to replace Platner on the ballot can only begin once he voluntarily withdraws, dies or is otherwise incapacitated, leaving the party with little to do but wait for an official announcement.
