Maine Democrats scramble after Senate nominee Graham Platner quits
What's next: candidates must file by July 15 and submit 500 signatures by July 20 to replace him against Sen. Susan Collins.
Maine Democrats moved to replace Senate nominee Graham Platner after he suspended his campaign days after a sexual assault allegation surfaced. Platner denied the allegation, but support collapsed quickly as national and state Democrats, including Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, pulled their backing and the party cut off campaign funding. The seat is central to Democratic hopes of winning back the Senate in November, with Maine seen as a must-flip race against five-term Republican Sen. Susan Collins. The Maine Democratic Party set a fast-track replacement process requiring a 300-word grassroots campaign statement and 500 valid voter signatures from at least eight counties. Potential contenders include Nirav Shah, Troy Jackson and Dan Kleban.