MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
Maine's race for the U.S. Senate is at the center of a political storm with national implications.
A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
It's been more than 36 hours since Democrat Graham Platner said he was weighing his options for a Senate campaign, following allegations of sexual assault. He has not made an announcement yet, but Democrats in Maine and around the country appear to be ready to move on from Platner.
MARTIN: In a few minutes, we'll hear from a former Maine state senator who could replace Platner if he drops out. But first, political correspondent Kevin Miller with Maine Public is here to bring us up to speed on this story. Good morning, Kevin.
KEVIN MILLER, BYLINE: Hello, Michel. Thanks for having me on.
MARTIN: Thanks for coming. So, Kevin, Graham Platner's campaign to unseat Republican Senator Susan Collins has been dogged by numerous controversies, but this time seems different. Now there's a steady call for him to drop out. Why is that?
MILLER: Yeah, you're right. He's had these controversies, but he's always been able to rise above it, usually by saying those things happened years before. He received treatment for PTSD from his four combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. But then a former romantic partner accused him earlier this week of sexually assaulting her just five years ago. And even though his populist message has clearly resonated with many voters, those latest accusations were sort of the red line for state Democratic leaders and many of his national allies.
MARTIN: And from what we're hearing, it seems that Democratic leaders are just not waiting for Platner to officially withdraw.
MILLER: No, they're not. And that's because they only have until July 27 to name a new nominee and Platner has to drop out by Monday to make that possible. Party leaders have been kind of quietly putting together their succession plans, if you will, and consulting with their lawyers. They said last night that they are committed to a, quote, "open and transparent process," but they haven't provided the details yet of how that would work out. So for instance, will they hold a new state convention, caucuses around the state? You know, who exactly gets to decide?
MARTIN: And these are thorny issues, given that there is lingering resentment in the Democratic Party over 2024 and how the national party handled President Biden's withdrawal.
MILLER: Yeah. Exactly. I think it's safe to say that party leaders really want to avoid being viewed as handpicking a so-called establishment candidate during an election when they really need huge turnout among Democrats and independents to defeat Susan Collins.
MARTIN: But it does sound like potential candidates are starting to come forward. So who are the biggest names?
MILLER: Well, we just had two hotly contested Democratic primaries for governor and a U.S. House seat about a month ago. Many of those folks are contenders. One is the former Maine Senate president, Troy Jackson. He's a logger from the very northern tip of Maine and an unabashed progressive who has spent years pushing some of the same ideas as Platner - things like Medicare for all, workers' rights, higher taxes on billionaires.
Another progressive is our current secretary of state, Shenna Bellows. She's made national headlines pushing back against President Trump, and then there's Dr. Nirav Shah, who headed the state's COVID-19 response and was second in charge at the U.S. CDC for a time.
MARTIN: And, of course, the context here that Democrats really want to take back the Senate. And experts have been saying to win the Senate back, the Democrats have to defeat Collins in Maine. So are national groups affecting this internal debate in Maine?
MILLER: I'd say it's unclear at this point, but they're definitely trying. The Senate Majority PAC, which is the big super PAC for Democratic Senate candidates, they've said it would only continue investing tens of millions of dollars in Maine if Platner withdraws. And then yesterday we saw the group Our Revolution, which is a spin-off of Bernie Sanders' campaign, endorse Troy Jackson. But I'd say kind of it's a tightrope for these national groups to walk because Maine is a fairly independent state, where Platner was so popular because of his loud, anti-D.C. establishment message.
MARTIN: That is Kevin Miller with Maine Public. Kevin, thanks so much for sharing this reporting with us.
MILLER: Thank you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
