Maine Democratic Senate nominee Graham Platner has suspended his campaign following sexual assault allegations, leaving an open question of who will take his place on the November ballot.
Platner, who has denied the allegations against him, released a video on Wednesday in which he announced his exit from the race while stressing that his decision to drop out was not “an admission of guilt.”
Read More: Graham Platner Drops Out of Maine Senate Race After Sexual Assault Allegations
In the 11-minute video posted on X, Platner said that “what comes next needs to come from the people,” who he said voted “against the political system, against the donor class, against the entrenched forces.” He said he is not trying to “dictate” who the next nominee will be, but stressed that the process of choosing that person “needs to be open, transparent, and Democratic” while “reflecting the will and values of the people” that voted for him.
“People in D.C. need to stay in D.C. Decisions should not be made in backrooms by people in places of political power,” Platner said.
The Democratic Party has until July 27 to select a new nominee to go up against Republican Maine Sen. Susan Collins in the midterms. The seat, which Collins has held for nearly 30 years, is considered key to Democrats’ battle to regain control of the upper chamber.
Several candidates have already thrown their hat in the ring, while others have teased possible runs or had their names floated in recent days.
Here’s what to know about how Democrats will choose Platner’s replacement, and the potential candidates in the mix.
A Maine election law allows the Democratic Party to select a new candidate as long as Platner officially withdraws himself from the ballot by 5 p.m. on July 13—which Jana Spaulding, Maine’s deputy secretary of state for communications, told The Washington Post he had yet to do as of Thursday morning.
If he does formally remove his name, the
