Democrats Fight Over Platner Replacement Before July 13 Deadline as Sanders Urges Him to Quit
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jul 7
Democrats Fight Over Platner Replacement Before July 13 Deadline as Sanders Urges Him to Quit
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jul 7
Summary
Bernie Sanders on Tuesday urged Graham Platner to step aside, adding to pressure on the Maine Democrat after a rape accusation upended a Senate race seen as critical to control of the chamber.
July 13 is the deadline to replace Platner on the ballot against Republican Senator Susan Collins, and party leaders including Chuck Schumer and the Maine Democratic Party have already demanded his exit.
Platner told campaign staff on a private Monday call that he still had leverage over who would replace him and implied a withdrawal decision was coming, according to people familiar with the conversation.
The succession fight has exposed a split between Democratic moderates and progressives, while the party's main Senate super PAC warned it would pull $24 million in ad reservations if Platner stayed.