The Maine Democratic Party appears to be preparing for the possibility that Graham Platner will drop out of the U.S. Senate race.
Platner said Monday that he is weighing his next steps after a woman came forward and accused him of raping her. Platner has denied the allegation.
Platner would have to drop out by Monday for Democrats to have an opportunity to replace him on the general election ballot in the race against incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins.
The party said it is developing a process to choose a replacement but pushed back on any involvement from Platner’s campaign.
"The Maine Democratic Party has been working round the clock to develop the process to replace our U.S. Senate nominee that is open, inclusive, transparent and fair. 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. 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," Devon Murphy-Anderson, executive director of the Maine Democratic Party, said.
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The Platner campaign has been quiet since Monday despite losing a number of major endorsements, including from two of his biggest backers, Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. If Platner stays in the race, he would face an uphill battle in raising money, as the Democratic Party's fundraising arm has said it will no longer support him financially if he does not step aside.
Before the latest controversy surrounding Platner, Maine was seen as a vulnerable seat for Republicans as Democrats try to reclaim the Senate. The situation could further complicate Democrats’ hopes of unseating Collins.
