Democrats in Maine are finding themselves in the middle of an increasingly bitter internal battle as pressure continues to mount on Senate candidate Graham Platner to withdraw from the race following a new and serious allegation against him.
For months, many prominent Democrats defended Platner despite a series of controversies surrounding his campaign. That changed after a woman accused him of breaking into her home and sexually assaulting her. The allegation prompted several high-profile Democrats, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Rep. Ro Khanna, to withdraw their support, dramatically shifting the political landscape around the race.
Platner initially signaled that he was weighing his options, saying he would “reflect on the best path forward for the state that I love, the people that I love, the movement I belong to, and the goal of defeating Susan Collins.” Despite those remarks, his campaign has so far refused to step aside, setting off an increasingly public clash with leaders of the Maine Democratic Party.
Update from Maine Democratic Party Executive Director Devon Murphy-Anderson on the Maine Senate race. pic.twitter.com/Jzj9ofinU8
— Maine Democrats (@MaineDems) July 8, 2026
That conflict spilled into the open when Maine Democratic Party Executive Director Devon Murphy-Anderson released a video accusing Platner’s campaign of attempting to influence the process for selecting a replacement nominee.
“As you know, the Maine Democratic Party has been working around the clock to develop a process to replace our U.S. Senate nominee that is open, inclusive, transparent, and fair,” Murphy-Anderson said. “The integrity of this process is just as important as the outcome, and we are committed to ensuring that Democrats across our state can have confidence in both.”
She then alleged that Platner’s campaign had repeatedly tried to shape that process despite having no formal role in determining how a replacement would be selected.
“Unfortunately, Graham Platner’s team has repeatedly reached out to us in an attempt to put their thumb on the scale of what this process looks like,” she said. “We have repeatedly reiterated to Graham Platner’s team that they have no role in determining our next Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate, nor in determining what this process looks like.”
NEW: Ben Chin, campaign manager for Graham Platner in #MESEN, blasted out a mass text
Chin slams the Maine Dem Party for allowing the DSCC to send staffers to plan “a nominating process behind closed doors”
It also includes a Survey Monkey link for feedback? pic.twitter.com/uFY0MgtSQ4
— Ally Mutnick (@allymutnick) July 8, 2026
Platner’s campaign quickly fired back.
Campaign manager Ben Chin criticized both the state party and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, arguing that discussions about replacing Platner had been conducted without involving the campaign or its supporters.
“Instead, under their watch and direction, they allowed the D.C.-based Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee to send staffers to plan a potential nominating process behind closed doors,” Chin said in a message to supporters. “Both the state and national parties cut our team, our volunteers, and our vast networks of supporters out of the conversation completely.”
Chin argued that the movement built around Platner’s campaign deserved a meaningful voice in selecting any replacement.
“We firmly believe that the supporters and volunteers who built this movement deserve to have a real role in any nomination process,” he said, adding that if party leaders hoped to maintain support, they needed to consult “the people who built and sustained this.”
“While the Platner campaign remains focused on distracting from the job of defeating Susan Collins in November with false accusations against us, the Maine Democratic Party remains hyper focused on developing a representative, transparent and inclusive process to select a new…
— Maine Democrats (@MaineDems) July 8, 2026
The Maine Democratic Party rejected those claims, accusing the Platner campaign of making false accusations while insisting that the focus should remain on defeating incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins.
In a statement posted to X, Murphy-Anderson said the party remained committed to creating “a representative, transparent, and inclusive process” for choosing a new nominee once Platner withdraws from the race. She also emphasized that Platner’s supporters would have an opportunity to participate in that process despite the ongoing dispute.
