Democratic Senate nominee Graham Platner is filing paperwork to end his Senate campaign amid a rape allegation and calls for him to drop out of the race from the Maine Democratic Party and prominent national-level Democrats.
[RELATED: Maine Democrats Pressure Graham Platner to Withdraw as Party Scrambles for Senate Replacement…]
“We believe that for the movement to continue, it can’t be me, and for that reason, we are suspending campaign operations. This is incredibly difficult because I know that some will think it’s an admission of guilt, but it most certainly is not. We’re not doing it because of the allegations; we’re doing it because of the structures that are being taken away from us because of those in power,” said Platner in a video released Wednesday night.
Platner released the 11-minute video amid numerous calls from fellow Democrats and the party itself for him to drop out before the end of the day on July 13 so that they would be able to replace him as the nominee.
In the video, Platner once again denied the allegation of rape made against him and claimed that he only learned about the allegation shortly before Politico published the article on Monday, when the outlet reached out to him for comment on it.
He claimed that the article was a politically motivated and timed attack to force him out of the race before he would irrevocably become the nominee on the ballot.
Platner explained that, though he maintains his innocence, he is ending his campaign out of necessity, because, due to the loss of support caused by the rape allegation, he will no longer be able to access resources needed for his campaign.
“The brutal political reality is that they are going to take everything away from us. Those in power who have the ability to do so are using these allegations as an excuse to take away all of the things that we need to run a campaign: we are going to lose our ability to fundraise; we are going to lose our ability to access voter data; we are going to lose all of the things that any campaign needs at the basic level simply to function,” said Platner.
Platner expressed hope that Maine voters will be able to decide who replaces him.
“I’m not asking how this process is going to work, 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. It needs to be reflecting the will and values of the people who built this movement,” said Platner.
He does not want the decision to be made by political insiders in “back rooms” or Democrats already in Washington, D.C.
Platner’s assertion that he does not want to “dictate” terms to the Maine Democratic Party comes amid rampant speculation and unconfirmed reports that he was trying to do just that, and that he delayed ending his campaign because he was attempting to force guarantees out of the party.
Shortly before Platner’s video was released, the Maine Democrats announced their plan for how a replacement would be chosen.
“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,” the Maine Democratic Party said in a statement issued Wednesday evening.
The statement explained that 100 of the state’s committee members decided to choose a new candidate through a “nominating convention.”
They plan to announce more specifics, including the full timeline and information on how to participate in the process at a future date.
“We will keep the public informed throughout the process—transparency is of the utmost importance,” they said.
The statement, signed by Maine Democratic Party Chair Charlie Dingman, Vice Chair Imke Schessler, and Executive Director Devon Murphy-Anderson, provided no details on what a nominating convention would entail.
Before the party released their statement, the Bangor Daily News reported that the party was planning a convention of roughly 600 people that would include 500 delegates elected by the county-level Democratic Committees, along with all the state-level committee delegates.
“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,” the Democrats’ statement concluded.
In response to the rape allegation, a number of prominent and not-so-prominent Maine Democrats immediately began campaigning to replace Platner.
Oh please…I couldn’t stomach watching/listening to the full 11 minutes of his pity party. It’s not his fault…its the big blue meanies of the libtard establishment that are taking away his power…whatta lying cheating loser.
It’ll be fun to watch the democommies game of Twister as they select oysterman’s replacement.