Maine Democrats Scramble to Replace Platner in 12-Candidate Senate Field After 15,000-Volunteer Campaign Collapses
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jul 18
Maine Democrats Scramble to Replace Platner in 12-Candidate Senate Field After 15,000-Volunteer Campaign Collapses
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jul 18
Summary
Maine Democrats are rushing to find a new Senate standard-bearer after Graham Platner quit the race, leaving his backers to choose among roughly a dozen candidates.
Platner’s withdrawal followed months of controversy capped by a rape accusation he denied, shattering a populist campaign that said it had built an army of 15,000 volunteers.
Ryan Warren and other organizers are now trying to keep that grassroots network engaged, even as some supporters feel betrayed and others see the scandal as an establishment effort to sink an insurgent bid.
The upheaval lands in a high-stakes race against Republican Senator Susan Collins, a five-term incumbent whose seat Democrats view as crucial to winning Senate control.