Here's how Democrats could pick a new Maine Senate nominee if Platner drops out
Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner is under pressure to drop out of the race amid a sexual assault allegation. If he does, Democrats will need to choose a new nominee, but the process is unclear.
Intelligence analysis by Llama
Graham Platner, the Maine Senate candidate, is facing pressure to drop out of the race due to a sexual assault allegation. If he does, Democrats will need to choose a new nominee, but the process is unclear.
Imagine you're in a big election, and the person who was going to run for a job in the Senate might not be able to run anymore because of some bad things they did. Now, the people who want to help the other team in the election need to choose a new person to run for that job. But they're not sure how to do it, and it's making things complicated.
Analysis
A Rapidly Closing Window for Democrats
Graham Platner, the Maine Senate candidate, is under immense pressure to drop out of the race amid a sexual assault allegation. If he does, Democrats will need to choose a new nominee, but the process is unclear. The Maine Democratic Party has accused Platner's team of trying to 'put their thumb on the scale' and shape how a new nominee is chosen, which the campaign denied.
Under state law, Platner has until next Monday, July 13, to withdraw from the race and remove his name from the general election ballot. If he withdraws before then, the Maine Democratic Party can replace him on the ballot, but it must make a decision by July 27 at 5 p.m. The party would likely gather party officials for a nominating convention of some form, said Dan Shea, a political science professor at Colby College in Waterville, Maine.
Who Might Replace Platner?
It's unclear who the party might choose to replace Platner, who won last month's primary with 72% of the vote. His top rival for the Democratic Senate nomination was outgoing Gov. Janet Mills, but she suspended her campaign before the primary election, and it's not certain that the 78-year-old two-term governor is interested in reentering the fray or would be viewed as a top contender. The Democratic primary for governor was far more crowded, and some watchers of Maine politics told CBS News a few of the candidates who came up short in that race could be near the top of the list to replace Platner as Senate nominee.
A Precedent in National Politics
National Democrats struggled with a similar dilemma two years ago, when former President Joe Biden dropped his reelection bid and was replaced by then-Vice President Kamala Harris. 'I think Maine Democrats are keeping in mind some of the controversy surrounding the … very narrow process leading to Kamala Harris's nomination — the very quick, truncated process,' Shea said.
Key points
- Graham Platner is under pressure to drop out of the Maine Senate race due to a sexual assault allegation.
- If Platner drops out, Democrats will need to choose a new nominee, but the process is unclear.
- The Maine Democratic Party has accused Platner's team of trying to shape how a new nominee is chosen.
- The party would likely gather party officials for a nominating convention of some form.
- It's unclear who the party might choose to replace Platner, but a few candidates who came up short in the Democratic primary for governor could be near the top of the list.
If Democrats can choose a strong new nominee, they might be able to win the Senate seat and deny Republican Sen. Susan Collins a sixth term.
However, the process of choosing a new nominee is unclear, and it's possible that Democrats might not be able to agree on a candidate, which could hurt their chances in the election.
