Democrats are searching for a new path forward in Maine after Graham Platner announced he was suspending his campaign for U.S. Senate.
Transcript
A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
Democrats are scrambling to find a path forward in the main Senate race this morning after Graham Platner’s announcement last night that he was suspending his campaign.
MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
Platner faced calls to drop out of the race after a woman he once dated came forward and accused him of rape – an allegation he denies. With Platner out, Democrats now face a time crunch to find a new candidate.
MARTÍNEZ: Joining us now to talk about the choices facing the party is NPR’s political reporter Elena Moore. Let’s start with the announcement. Elena, what did he have to say?
ELENA MOORE, BYLINE: Yeah, this video followed reporting from Politico on Monday that in 2021, Platner drunkenly entered the home of a woman he was dating and raped her. Over the course of this 11-minute video last night, A, Platner was visibly emotional. He acknowledged that this was a serious allegation, but emphasized his decision to drop out was not an admission of guilt, instead putting the blame on what he called a political system not meant for normal people.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
GRAHAM PLATNER: It is a system that is built structurally to make sure that movements like ours cannot flourish. That if they begin to succeed, they can be crushed.
MARTÍNEZ: All right, so Platner is out. The main Senate race, though, goes on. And really, it’s expected to be one of the most competitive in the country this fall. So where does this leave Democrats there?
MOORE: Yeah. Democrats need a new nominee and ASAP. The stakes are really high because the party wants to win back the Senate, they need to pick up seats, and many think that Maine’s current senator, longtime incumbent Republican Susan Collins, is beatable. So there’s this tension around what kind of candidate is up for the challenge and not a lot of time to make the decision. Maine election law says that Democrats have until July 27 to get a replacement candidate on the ballot, and the state’s Democratic Party says it plans to hold a nominating convention to pick a new nominee.
MARTÍNEZ: All right, but what about Platner’s supporters? What happens to them? Where do they go from here?
MOORE: It’s a tough situation. Platner was popular. He talked about issues like affordability and promised political change, so I think a lot of his supporters who are already really frustrated with the political establishment are hoping that whoever takes his place can keep that momentum going. I talked about this with Joseph Geevarghese. He’s the executive director of Our Revolution, which was initially started by Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders.
JOSEPH GEEVARGHESE: Platner represented the progressive wing that was calling for health care for all and was calling for good jobs. That is the platform that we think needs to continue. It’s really, at the end of the day, not just about the messenger, but it’s about the message.
MARTÍNEZ: All right. Now, what about Democrats, though, outside of that more progressive wing?
MOORE: Well, if Platner’s strategy was to win by challenging the political system, these Democrats have a more pragmatic goal, which is just to flip the seat. Strategists I’ve talked to say Platner’s campaign energized parts of the Democratic Party who haven’t been all that happy with their options over the last few years. But they argue there’s a way to campaign on some of the same issues around things like affordability and wealth inequality, but do it with a candidate who doesn’t align as closely to the left, is more tested, and, A, isn’t surrounded by scandal.
MARTÍNEZ: All right. That is NPR political reporter Elena Moore. Elena, thanks.
MOORE: Thank you.
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