Maine Democrats have power to replace Platner but the process could strain credibility

The Democratic Party in Maine has statutory authority to replace U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner on the ballot, but how it replaces him is largely left to the party’s discretion.

That is according to a review of state law and Democratic Party bylaws governing ballot vacancies in Maine conducted by Heartlander News.

The lack of specificity and transparency is causing confusion and consternation among Democrats in Maine, the Associated Press reported.

The resulting quarrels are reminiscent of the selection process in 2024, almost two years to the day after presumptive nominee President Joe Biden withdrew as the Democratic nominee for president amid similar electability questions.

Platner, 41, is under pressure to withdraw after a series of scandals, including allegations of sexual assault, have begun to raise alarm in a race Democrats previously thought they could win.

Under Maine law, a candidate nominated in a primary may withdraw before the general election ballot is finalized.

But this year, the deadline for a candidate to withdraw is Monday, July 13.

A murky statute

For the U.S. Senate race, Maine law says the replacement can then be chosen by “a political committee” of the party.

But the statute does not spell out the internal process for how such a committee is formed, whether the meeting must be public or whether candidates must formally apply.

The relevant section of state law simply says: “The committee shall meet at the time and place chosen by the committee,” and “The committee shall choose a qualified person to fill the vacancy.”

The party then delivers the certification to the secretary of state so the candidate can be placed on the ballot.

In the cases of Biden and Platner, the question is not whether parties need a way to replace candidates in extraordinary circumstances.

Those processes have always existed.

The question is whether those mechanisms disenfranchise voters who have already voted for their candidate of choice simply because insiders view the candidacy as no longer viable.

Maine political observers have noted the lack of a defined process.

“The state law is clear on some things and then silent on most of it,” University of Maine political science professor Mark Brewer told local ABC affiliate WMTW.

Brewer said the party could potentially use several methods, including a convention-style vote, caucus format or a leadership-driven process.

“The statute is clear on the two dates and the fact that if those dates are met, then the party, in this case the Democratic Party, has complete control over how they go about selecting that replacement,” Brewer said.

The Maine Democratic Party said in a statement it wants an “intentional and inclusive process,” but has yet to detail who would vote or what rules would govern the selection.

How party insiders use their discretion could become the central issue if Platner withdraws.

Maine Senate President Mattie Daughtry, a Democrat, has already called for a public process.

“I’m going to use my position to hold all of these folks accountable and make sure that we have a public and open process,” Daughtry told WMTW.

The concern is that voters chose a nominee in a primary who represents a certain ideology but could be set aside through an unaccountable party process after insiders concluded, too late, the nominee was likely to lose.

Platner won 72.1% of the Democratic primary vote June 12, even as the New York Times reported “unsettling behavior” by the candidate, as alleged by a former girlfriend.

Questions also remained about a Nazi tattoo he had prominently displayed on his chest for years and reports by his wife of inappropriate sexual text messages with married women.

The scandals, judging by the reporting and the results, didn’t bother voters, or many of the Democrats running the party.

“We don’t care. I think that’s the case for many donors,” an anonymous Democratic consultant told Politico before the primary. “Anybody who beats [current incumbent Republican U.S. Sen.] Susan Collins will do.”

Likewise, Biden’s age and fitness for office were widely discussed as Democratic primary voters cast ballots in the March 2024 Super Tuesday primaries.

There were 16 primaries on Super Tuesday, and Biden won them all except American Samoa.

An Associated Press survey released before the Super Tuesday vote found only 40% of Democrats were “extremely or very confident in Biden’s mental abilities.”

But after his poor debate performance against Donald Trump, Democratic elected officials, donors and party figures increasingly pressured him to withdraw, worried about whether he was electable.

At the time, Biden allies and other activists accused party insiders of trying to disenfranchise voters.

“If the Democratic elites push Biden out and disenfranchise 14 million voters like me, the Democratic legislators are no better than Republicans,” a Biden surrogate focused on reaching black voters told NBC News. “Democrats lose the so-called save democracy argument, and it will appear racist.”

In the case of Maine, perhaps it was the voters who were unscrupulous.

Liberal voters consistently told MS NOW they didn’t care about Platner’s problems. They just wanted somebody who could beat Republican Sen. Susan Collins.

“Would I date him? No, but it does play into his character,” Maine resident Nancy Smith told MS NOW about her support for Platner. “But we’re not looking for perfection.”

Instead, they’re on the verge of looking for another candidate, one they likely won’t be able to participate in selecting this time.