The Maine Democratic Party agreed Wednesday to hold a convention and pick a replacement for former Democratic Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner.
During an emergency meeting, more than 100 state committee members voted to hold the convention and select Platner’s replacement by the July 27 deadline. The convention will include 600 delegates, with 500 delegates being elected proportionally by county committees and the remaining 100 delegates being state committee members, according to Bangor Daily News.
Each county party committee is expected to caucus before the state nominating convention to elect 500 convention delegates, according to Politico. County chairs were expected to meet Thursday, and it is currently unclear whether county committees or public caucuses will select delegates.
Platner suspended his campaign Wednesday two days after an ex-girlfriend accused him of raping her in 2021, which he denied. Democrats and allies including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and Democratic California Rep. Ro Khanna rescinded their endorsements and called on Platner to step aside.
Platner must submit paperwork withdrawing his name from the ballot by Monday at 5 p.m. EDT to be replaced.
The party confirmed its plans to hold the 600-person convention in a Wednesday statement.
“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 on how to participate, and requirements for candidates soon,” Maine Democratic Party executive director Devon Murphy-Anderson said in a statement. “We will keep the public informed throughout the process — transparency is of the utmost importance.”
MDP Statement on Democratic U.S. Senate Nomination Process pic.twitter.com/QuLie9cjQE
— Maine Democrats (@MaineDems) July 8, 2026
The party has not shared details on how the convention procedure will operate, especially given that Platner’s sudden exit is unprecedented, Politico reported. Given how rare this situation is, the party does not have specific rules on how to replace a nominee for Senate.
The Maine Democratic Party did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
Murphy-Anderson told MS NOW Wednesday that candidates may need to collect signatures from Maine voters to be eligible for the convention.
Shortly after Platner suspended his campaign, former Maine gubernatorial candidate Troy Jackson, brewery owner Dan Kleban, former congressional candidates Jordan Wood and Paige Loud and former public health official Nirav Shah announced their plans to run. Shah called for a televised debate, though it is unknown whether one will happen.
Platner previously refused to drop out unless he could choose his replacement. He urged Maine Democrats Wednesday to allow the voters to choose their candidate.
“I’m not trying to dictate to anyone who it should be or how we get there, but I will say this: It needs to be open, transparent, and democratic,” Platner said in a video statement. “People in DC need to stay in DC. Decisions should not be made in back rooms by people in places of political power. Party apparatchiks are not the ones to make these decisions. These decisions need to be made in the open by the people of this state, the people who got us here.”
Platner was embroiled in controversies, including a Nazi tattoo and Reddit posts he made about masturbating in portable toilets. Democrats endorsed Platner anyways, with Schumer repeatedly telling reporters that his party would “beat [Republican Maine Sen.] Susan Collins, [and] take back the Senate.”
After interviewing Maine resident Jenny Racicot, who accused Platner of rape, Politico did not include that Racicot texted Platner that she needed her “glute massaged” before telling him not to come over. She deleted all of her messages between herself and Platner and never reported the alleged incident to the police at the time she said it took place.
Conservative activist Lyndsey Fifield, an ex-girlfriend of Platner’s, alleged Tuesday that Platner removed condoms during sex without her consent, which Platner denied. She told The New York Times in June that Platner twisted her arm and trapped her in the bathroom during their relationship, which lasted from 2013 to 2015.
Fifield wrote in a private group chat in summer 2025 that she would “personally go campaign for [Republican Maine Sen. Susan] Collins.
(DCNF)
