Graham Platner Withdraws From Maine U.S. Senate Race After Maine Secretary Of State Receives Paperwork

Graham Platner officially withdrew from Maine’s U.S. Senate race after the Maine secretary of state said it received the needed paperwork to remove his name from the ballot.

The Maine Secretary of State’s Office confirmed receipt of his withdrawal on Friday, July 10, and said the Democrats have until July 27 to find a replacement candidate.

ABC News

Platner’s withdrawal came after he announced he would suspend his campaign on Wednesday following misconduct allegations, which he denied, and the BBC said Maine Democrats plan to hold a convention to find a contender to take on Republican Senator Susan Collins in November.

In his withdrawal letter, Platner wrote that “my name may have been on the ballot, but that ballot line belongs to the people of Maine,” and the Hill said the party will choose a new nominee this month as it seeks to oust Collins.

NPR reported that Platner said he had no choice but to suspend his campaign, arguing “We are going to lose our ability to fundraise,” and said the decision was to keep the progressive movement in Maine alive to defeat Collins in November.

Maine’s Democratic Party is preparing a nominating convention after Platner’s withdrawal, with the BBC describing a timeline that includes a 13 July deadline for Platner to officially withdraw and a 27 July deadline to name a replacement.

CNN said the convention is expected to feature roughly 600 delegates, including around 500 elected from the state’s 16 counties and about 100 voting members of the state committee, and it noted that many details about delegates and voting have not been announced.

ABC News

Candidates have to qualify for the ballot, and CNN said they have until Wednesday evening to file a formal declaration of candidacy with the state party and then until July 20 to submit at least 500 signatures from registered Maine Democrats, including at least 50 from eight counties.

In his withdrawal letter, Platner framed the decision as a way to continue his campaign’s legacy, writing “People are desperate for change. For this broken system to be righted,” and CNN reported that the party’s state committee voted to hold the convention before the 5 p.m. ET deadline on July 27.

NPR added that the Maine Democratic Party said it intends to hold a new nominating convention where around 600 delegates will select Platner’s successor, and it said candidates have until July 15 to declare their intent to seek the nomination and gather signatures from at least 8 of Maine’s 16 counties.

As Democrats move to replace Platner, the BBC listed multiple contenders, including public health expert Nirav Shah, former state senator Troy Jackson, Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders as a vocal left-wing supporter of Platner.

The Hill said the Maine Democratic Party will hold a nominating convention to select a replacement and named candidates including Troy Jackson, Nirav Shah, Shenna Bellows, Dan Kleban, and Jordan Wood, while also noting that social worker Paige Loud filed paperwork to run.

CBS News reported that Shenna Bellows, the first woman to serve as secretary of state, jumped into the race and said she has taken on “tough fights for working people” throughout her career, while also describing her 2014 loss to Collins by almost 37 percentage points.

CBS News also described Troy Jackson as a fifth-generation logger from Allagash who told the Bangor Daily News he is the “best person” to replace Platner, and it said Sanders told Jackson he would “stand with working-class families against the enormous power of the monied interests.”

NPR reported that multiple people have already launched campaigns to replace Platner, including former state Sen. Troy Jackson and former CDC official Nirav Shah, and it said the party intends to make the nomination process public and transparent as it tries to harness the enthusiasm from the June 9 primary to beat Susan Collins in November.