Platner Suspends Campaign, Maine Democratic Party Announces A Nominating Convention To Pick A New Senate Nominee
Yes I believe we can still win flip this seat this November!
Friends,
Lots of news from Maine this evening.
First, Graham Platner has withdrawn from the Senate race. Via The NYT:
Graham Platner, the Democratic nominee for Senate in Maine and a onetime star of the progressive movement, suspended his campaign on Wednesday under intense pressure from all corners of his party after a woman accused him of rape.
His departure upends one of this year’s most important Senate races and creates enormous uncertainty about his party’s outlook in Maine, where Democrats believe that defeating Senator Susan Collins, a Republican, is crucial to their efforts to reclaim a Senate majority.
Second, The Maine Democratic Party just made this announcement:
Today, the Maine Democratic Party held a meeting with over 100 state committee members who voted to hold a nominating convention to choose a new nominee if there is a vacancy to fill. We will announce the full timeline, details for how the nomination process will move forward, information about how to participate, and requirements for candidates soon. We will keep the public informed throughout the process – transparency is of the utmost importance.
There is an unprecedented amount of energy and enthusiasm among Maine Democrats, driven in part by many of the dedicated volunteers and supporters who were inspired by Graham Platner's campaign. We look forward to coming together and harnessing that energy around our new nominee as we work to defeat Susan Collins in November.
Charlie Dingman, MDP Chair
Imke Schessler, MDP Vice Chair
Devon Murphy-Anderson, Executive Director
Our community has been one of the largest investors in the Maine Democratic Party in the country this cycle, and we are going to do everything we can to help them make this challenging process successful. In that regard we’ve kicked off a fundraising campaign to help the Maine Dems pay for all these unanticipated expenses and keep their machine running during this transition:
I also shared my thoughts on why I believe we still can in Maine this November in a post this morning:
More tomorrow. Keep fighting everyone - Simon
Platner's video was FOUL. He was whining about the unfairness of the Mean Democrats. He owes a huge apology to the voters of Maine. He lied to them and let them down.
Glad Platner is gone. Please keep Chuck Schumer as far away as possible from the selection decision for the next Democratic candidate.