The Maine Democratic Party’s executive director accused Senate hopeful Graham Platner, whose campaign is under mounting pressure, of attempting to influence the party’s effort to choose a new nominee before the November midterm elections.
In a video shared on X, Devon Murphy-Anderson said the state party has been working urgently to create a replacement process for its U.S. Senate nominee that is open, inclusive, transparent and fair, emphasizing that Democrats need to trust both the procedure and its result.
Murphy-Anderson said Platner’s campaign had contacted party officials several times in what she described as an effort to shape how the selection process would be handled.
She added that party leaders have made clear to Platner’s team that they will not have any role in choosing the next Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate or in designing the process. Murphy-Anderson also said Platner should leave the race so Maine Democrats can concentrate on defeating Susan Collins in November.
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She said the party expects to release details of the process once Platner formally withdraws from the contest.
Platner’s campaign pushed back on Murphy-Anderson’s allegations in a statement to The Post on Tuesday night.
A campaign spokesperson said the team had contacted the party only to learn what the replacement process might involve, denying that it had ever tried to tip the scales.
The spokesperson noted that more than 150,000 Mainers backed the campaign and over 15,000 volunteered for it, adding that while Platner would not seek to take part in the process, he wants voters and volunteers — not party insiders — to determine the outcome.
The embattled candidate announced Monday he would be taking time away from the campaign trail to consider the “best path forward” after being accused of rape by an ex-girlfriend.
The Senate hopeful has denied the allegations, but is facing mounting calls to end his campaign.
