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Graham Platner holds Maine hostage—along with Democrats’ Senate hopes



Two days after a woman publicly accused him of rape, Graham Platner has yet to
drop out as the Democratic nominee in Maine’s Senate race, in a reported effort
to influence the selection of his successor.



Politico reported on Tuesday that Platner wouldn’t drop out of the race unless
he knew someone from “his progressive, anti-establishment wing of the party”
would replace him.

If he does the right thing and drops out before 5 PM on July 13, the Maine
Democratic Party would control the selection of his replacement. And Platner’s
reported attempt to strong-arm the party led its leader to post a video on
Tuesday evening rebuking Platner and his campaign’s efforts.

“We’ve 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,” Maine Democratic Party Executive
Director Devon Murphy-Anderson said in a video message posted on X. “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.”



Platner’s campaign denied it was putting its finger on the scale, claiming it
wanted only to understand the process.





 



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“The Platner campaign has reached out to the party to try and understand what
this process would look like,” an anonymous Platner campaign spokesperson, too
chickenshit to put their name on the record since they are still working for an
alleged rapist, said in a statement to Politico.



The outlet reported that Platner’s preferred successors are Troy Jackson—a
Democrat who just came in third in Maine’s Democratic gubernatorial primary—and
state Rep. Valli Geiger. Both had endorsed Platner and campaigned alongside him
in his now-doomed quest to defeat Susan Collins, the most vulnerable Republican
senator up for reelection this year.



Of course, every day that Platner stays in the race is another day lost in the
lead-up to Election Day. Democrats must flip Collins’ Senate seat to have a
realistic shot at winning back control of Congress’ upper chamber.

What’s more, Platner’s endorsement would likely be a liability for any
potential successor. Collins could use it to raise questions about their
character and credibility.

However, The New York Times reported that the Maine Democratic Party is
considering hosting a statewide convention or caucus process to allow the
state’s voters to choose Platner’s successor—which seems eminently fair. If
voters choose someone other than Platner’s choice, then that would be their
prerogative.

Meanwhile, Democrats are growing angrier by the minute that Platner has yet to
drop out.

“Guess what after you have put the Democratic Party in a shambles and
undermined all Democratic candidates running for office in Maine then you
should have no say in who will be your successor,” Maine Democratic state Sen.
Joe Baldacci wrote in a post on social media. “With all of his national
endorsers withdrawing their support this [is] already going to be a tough race
for any successor but having him looking for a guarantee is only going to tie a
lead weight to any nominee.”

Ultimately, CNN reported that Platner “is expected to announce his decision
through a recorded video, which could come later Wednesday.”



“As of this morning, the message had not been taped,” CNN added.

The clock is ticking.



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