Maine Democrats plan convention to replace scandal-hit Platner – US politics live

A month after he won Maine’s Democratic primary, Graham Platner, the oyster farmer turned insurgent candidate has suspended his campaign after being accused by a former girlfriend of severely sexually assaulting her in ۲۰۲۱ – an allegation he denies as “categorically untrue”.

Now that Platner has said he will file paperwork to withdraw from the race, Maine Democrats have until ۲۷ July to select a replacement to face Susan Collins, the Republican incumbent, in a race widely seen as pivotal to control of the Senate. The state party said on Wednesday it would hold a nominating convention to pick a new candidate.

But one complicating factor has been that Platner won more primary votes than any Democratic Senate candidate in the state’s history, and energized a coalition that the establishment favorite, governor Janet Mills, never matched. Some have suggested that his successor will need to carry forward that energy, while others are arguing the new nominee will have to be independent from him, or risk being seen as his protégé.

Whoever takes the position will have little time to prepare for a general election against Collins, a five-term incumbent. Here are the options so far:

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The Maine Democratic party has voted to hold a convention after its Senate pick Graham Platner withdrew from the race following accusations of sexual assault.

Platner announced his decision in an ۱۱-minute video posted to social media on Wednesday evening, in which he angrily accused the Democratic establishment and corporate media of “using these allegations to take away all of the things we need to run a campaign” and acting “as judge, jury and executioner”.

In the video, Platner vehemently stood by his assertion that the accusations were “not remotely true”, claiming they were driven by “large forces … working against [him] personally”.

Now the Maine Democratic party, which by law is responsible for naming a replacement, has said it will move forward with holding a nominating convention to choose a new nominee. Potential contenders have already started making clear their interest, with a tight deadline of ۲۷ July in place.

An array of Democrats have already expressed interest in the nomination. Troy Jackson, a former state senator who ran for governor earlier this year, quickly announced his candidacy shortly after Platner’s campaign suspension, as did Dan Kleban, the owner of Maine Beer Company who ran in the Senate primary before dropping out before the vote.

Other possible contenders include the Maine secretary of state, Shenna Bellows; former Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention director Nirav Shah; state legislator Valli Geiger; and ex-congressional aide Jordan Wood.

“There is an unprecedented amount of energy and enthusiasm among Maine Democrats, driven in part by many of the dedicated volunteers and supporters who were inspired by Graham Platner’s campaign,” party officials said in a statement issued less than an hour before Platner suspended his campaign.

“We look forward to coming together and harnessing that energy around our new nominee as we work to defeat Susan Collins in November.”

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