Platner campaign putting 'thumb on scale' to influence possible replacement, Maine Dem alleges
The Maine Democratic Party issued a stern warning to U.S. Senate primary winner Graham Platner, telling him and his campaign that they have "no role" in choosing his replacement.Platner has...
By Fox News · Fox News
The Maine Democratic Party issued a stern warning to U.S. Senate primary winner Graham Platner, telling him and his campaign that they have "no role" in choosing his replacement. Platner has not yet withdrawn from the race, and is still the state's Democrat nominee for U.S. Senate, despite mounting pressure from state and national Democrats to drop out after a woman who previously dated him accused him of sexual assault in a Politico report published Monday. Platner has denied the allegations, but said he is looking at "the best path forward," as he understood the political fallout the accusation would create. "The Maine Democratic Party has been working around the clock to develop a process to replace our U.S. Senate nominee that is open, inclusive, transparent, and fair," state party Executive Director Devon Murphy-Anderson said in a video posted to X amid myriad newly surfaced allegations levied against Platner with less than a week before the deadline to lock in the candidate to challenge incumbent Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine. "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," Murphy-Anderson continued. "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. 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." WHAT HAPPENS NEXT IF PLATNER DROPS OUT? HERE'S WHO COULD REPLACE HIM ON THE BALLOT AND HOW IT WOULD WORK Amid the fight with the Maine party leaders, an official for the Platner campaign said it "has reached out to the party to try and understand what this process would look like" and "at no point has the campaign tried to ‘put its finger on the scale.’" The official added that thousands of Maine residents voted and…