Platner Formally Exits Maine Senate Race; Convention Set July 25

Graham Platner, the Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate in Maine, filed paperwork Friday to withdraw from the race, ending a campaign to unseat Republican Sen. Susan Collins. The Associated Press reported that he filed with the secretary of state’s office two days after saying he would leave the race, and that the secretary of state’s office confirmed receipt.

In his letter, Platner wrote, “I write to formally withdraw my candidacy for the United States Senate,” according to ABC News. The AP reported that he said Mainers “voted for a new kind of politics” and cast himself as an outsider up against “billionaires, oligarchs, or the political establishment.” ABC News reported that he had reportedly told staff he would file on Monday, the last day he could do so.

Platner had won the June Democratic primary with more than 70 percent of the vote, ABC News reported. His campaign came apart over allegations. Politico reported, as relayed by ABC News, that a former girlfriend accused him of having sex with her without her consent about five years ago, after she repeatedly told him to stop. Platner denies it and has called the allegation “categorically false,” ABC reported. The AP also noted that he has denied an allegation of sexual assault. ABC News listed earlier controversies, including sexually explicit text messages sent to multiple women and a past tattoo with Nazi symbolism, which Platner said he did not understand when he got it and covered up after learning its meaning.

ABC News reported that his exit came after growing pressure from Democrats, including Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, who had been early supporters.

The stakes are national. The AP described Maine as a key state in the fight for control of the narrowly divided Senate.

Under state law, a replacement must be named by July 27. The Maine Democratic Party will hold a nominating convention on July 25, state committee chairman Charlie Dingman announced, according to the AP and ABC. ABC reported that 601 delegates will vote: 101 members of the Democratic State Committee and 500 delegates appointed by counties. Voting will continue in rounds until one candidate wins a majority, and the convention will be livestreamed. Dingman said delegates will choose someone “who has the energy, ideas and popular support” to beat Collins, the AP reported.

Several Democrats have said they are interested. The AP listed Nirav Shah, a former director of the Maine Center for Disease Control; Secretary of State Shenna Bellows; former state Senate President Troy Jackson; and Dan Kleban, a co-founder of the Maine Beer Company. It also named former congressional candidates Jordan Wood and Paige Loud, former state Senate candidates David Costello and Andrea LaFlamme, and state Rep. Valli Geiger, who has expressed interest but not formally announced. The AP noted that Shah, Bellows and Jackson all lost the June gubernatorial primary.