Graham Platner made his exit from Maine’s U.S. Senate contest official on Friday, submitting formal withdrawal paperwork to the Maine secretary of state’s office — a move that sets off an urgent search by Democrats for a replacement candidate.
The secretary of state’s office received Platner’s paperwork, which was reflected in the office’s online withdrawal list shortly afterward.
In a letter addressed to the secretary of state’s office — which Platner also shared on social media — he wrote that the voters who nominated him “voted for a new kind of politics” that is “representative of people down here in the real world — not billionaires, oligarchs, or the political establishment.” That anti-establishment message had defined his campaign throughout, during which he earned support from progressive figures including Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna of California.
“I seek to further the movement we have built together and the future we believe in,” Platner added, offering no specifics about his next steps.
Maine is viewed as a critical battleground for control of the narrowly split U.S. Senate, and Democrats had been eager to field a strong contender capable of unseating Republican Sen. Susan Collins.
The official withdrawal came two days after Platner announced he was stepping aside following a sexual assault allegation, which he has denied. State law allows Democrats to name a replacement before the general election, but that selection must be made no later than July 27.
Just before Platner’s Wednesday announcement, over 100 members of the state Democratic Party committee had already signed on to hold a nominating convention to select a new candidate if he stepped down. The state party has yet to publicly announce when that convention will take place.
A number of Democrats have already declared their interest in the nomination this week. Among them are three candidates who fell short in June’s Democratic gubernatorial primary: former Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention director Nirav Shah, Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, and former Maine Senate President Troy Jackson.
Additional contenders who have announced their candidacies include Maine Beer Company co-founder Dan Kleban; former 2nd Congressional District candidates Jordan Wood and Paige Loud; state Rep. Valli Geiger; and former Maine Senate candidates David Costello and Andrea LaFlamme.
