Maine Democrat Senate candidate Graham Platner denied accusations his team was trying to interfere with the process to potentially choose his replacement as he faces continued calls to drop out of the critical race over a rape allegation.  Platner’s campaign disputed claims made by Maine Democratic Party Executive Director Devon Murphy-Anderson that the campaign was trying to “put their thumb on the scale” of what the process would look like to replace Platner. The calls for Platner to withdraw came after Jenny Racicot, his former girlfriend, came forward on Monday to accuse him of forcing himself on her after breaking into her home back in 2021 while deeply intoxicated.  “The Platner campaign has reached out to the party to try and understand what this process would look like. At no point has the campaign tried to ‘put its finger on the scale.’ Over 150,000 Mainers voted for this movement, and over 15,000 Mainers volunteered their time and energy to it,” Platner’s campaign told NBC News. “While Graham wouldn’t want to be a part of the process, he would want to make sure the voters and volunteers make this decision — not the political establishment.” That statement came after Murphy-Anderson released a video attacking the Platner campaign.  “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,” she 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.” “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 added. “
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.” After Racicot came forward, Platner has rapidly lost support from prominent backers including leftist Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), democratic socialist New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, and Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA). The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee also claimed it would not spend money on the race if Platner remained on the ballot.  The deadline for Maine Democrats to replace Platner is July 13.