Schumer joins calls for Platner's withdrawal as Dem support collapses
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Graham Platner speaks during a primary election night event in Blue Hill, Maine, on June 9. Photo: Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called on Graham Platner to "immediately" end his campaign, throwing the Maine Senate race into chaos just four months before Election Day.
Why it matters: Maine was Democrats' best opportunity to flip a Senate seat. Now, it has become Schumer's worst nightmare.
- Schumer and his fellow New York Democrat, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, joined a growing list of state and national Democrats urging Platner to drop out. But only Platner can make that decision.
- "Graham Platner needs to immediately withdraw as the Democratic nominee for Senate and allow Maine Democrats the opportunity to choose a new candidate who can defeat Susan Collins," Schumer and Gillibrand said in a joint statement.
- "The DSCC will not invest in the Maine Senate race if Platner remains on the ballot."
Driving the news: Platner, part of a wave of progressive newcomers to win Democratic primaries this year, said he is "taking the time" to consider his next steps after Politico reported allegations that he sexually assaulted a woman he was dating in 2021.
- Under Maine law, Democrats have until July 13 for Platner to withdraw. If he does, the state party would have two weeks to choose a replacement nominee.
- Platner's a progressive whom Schumer embraced only after his preferred nominee — Gov. Janet Mills — was rejected by voters. (Mills suspended her campaign shortly before the June 9 primary.)
- Now, Schumer's worst fears about nominating an untested and largely unvetted candidate to take on Collins are playing out in real time.
What they're saying: Maine's Democratic Party said in a statement Monday evening that it was "calling on Graham Platner to withdraw as the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate."
"Graham Platner should drop out from the race. I am withdrawing my endorsement," Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) wrote on X.
- "The allegations against Graham Platner are troubling and deeply serious," Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) wrote on X. "I am rescinding my endorsement."
Between the lines: Two of Platner's most prominent Senate backers — Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) — had not called on him to end his campaign as of press time.
Catch up quick: Platner's campaign was thrown into turmoil Monday after Politico published a detailed account from Jenny Racicot, a 41-year-old Maine woman who alleged that Platner sexually assaulted her in 2021.
- "I remember him grabbing my pelvis and being really forceful of me," Racicot told Politico. "I remember the specific moment where I thought to myself, like, 'This is no longer my choice.'"
- Platner denied the allegation but indicated he is weighing the future of his campaign.
- "I wanted to directly address the troubling, serious, and false allegations against me. Any accusation of non-consensual behavior is categorically false," he said.
What we're hearing: Former state senator Troy Jackson, who placed third in the gubernatorial primary, is one possible replacement pick, according to people familiar with the matter.
Zoom out: Democrats always faced an uphill battle in their effort to gain control of the Senate, given the makeup of this year's map, but their troubles in Maine have only made their quest more difficult.
- New York Times/Siena polls released July 1 found that Democrats are competitive in six key Senate races, but "not leading in enough to take the chamber."
