Dems uphill climb for Senate majority just got a lot steeper with latest Platner allegation
Democrats have a narrow path to win back the Senate majority from the Republicans in this year's midterm elections.And part of their playbook is flipping Maine — a historically moderate...
By Fox News · Fox News
Democrats have a narrow path to win back the Senate majority from the Republicans in this year's midterm elections. And part of their playbook is flipping Maine — a historically moderate state that votes blue in presidential elections but whose two senators are a Republican and an Independent who caucuses with Democrats. Graham Platner 's candidacy is cratering as he faces calls from top Democrats in Maine and across the country to quit his Senate bid a day after Monday's explosive rape allegation emerged against him. And the latest controversy decreases the party's odds of recapturing the Senate in November. "The forced implosion of Graham Platner does not make life any easier" for Democrats, a Republican strategist who works on Senate races told Fox News Digital. DEMOCRATS ABANDON PLATNER AFTER BOMBSHELL ALLEGATIONS Platner, a military combat veteran turned oyster farmer who was, until Monday, backed by top progressives, is the party's nominee in the race against longtime Republican Sen. Susan Collins in blue-leaning Maine. The showdown is a high-profile, combustible and expensive ballot box battle, and one of a handful that will determine if the GOP holds onto its slim Senate majority in the midterms. If Platner suspends his campaign before 5 p.m. next Monday, July 13, the Maine Democratic Party will be able to replace him on the general election ballot with another candidate from the party, whom they would need to select by July 27. Beating Collins, who is seeking a sixth six-year term in the Senate, won't be easy. Six years ago, public opinion polls indicated the senator was headed to defeat, but Collins defied expectations and won re-election by defeating then-Democratic state House Speaker Sara Gideon by nine points. FOUR MONTHS TILL MIDTERMS: THE 12 RACES THAT WILL DETERMINE THE SENATE MAJORITY Fast-forward to present day and the 73-year-old Collins should be vulnerable, with her party facing a rough political climate fueled in part by persistent inflation…