Can Democrats Replace Graham Platner on the Maine Ballot — and with Whom?

Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner is bleeding endorsements and financial support following a new sexual assault allegation against him. While he says he is reflecting on the best path forward for his campaign, he has little time to do so if Democrats want to replace him on the ballot.

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While he maintains that he will not “turn [his] back on [his supporters] now,” Democrats are urging him to drop out of the race, and do so in the next six days, before the deadline to replace him lapses.

State law in Maine requires a candidate to drop out by July 13 so the party can renominate a new candidate by 5 p.m. on July 27. The policy gives the Maine secretary of state time to redesign the ballots and print them before early voting begins in October.

But the only way for Democrats to replace Platner is if he chooses to drop out himself. In Maine, there are no statutory processes to force the candidate off the ballot.

While Platner has faced a slew of controversies throughout his campaign, recent allegations against the Maine Democrat made by a former girlfriend have proved the most damaging. Jenny Racicot, who dated Platner on and off for two years beginning in 2019, told Politico he arrived at her home uninvited and intoxicated late one evening in 2021 and forced himself on her.

Lyndsey Fifield also previously made abuse allegations against Platner, but was more easily dismissed by Platner and his supporters because of her previous ties to the Republican Party. Other Platner scandals have included his Nazi tattoo on his chest, his account on the messaging app Kik, and other accusations regarding his inappropriate treatment of women.

“The most important thing for people to understand is that the state Democratic Party cannot force Platner out of the race and replace him,” Hans von Spakovsky, senior legal fellow at Advancing American Freedom, told National Review. “The only way they can replace him is if he, on his own, resigns. If he refuses to do that, then his name will be on the ballot that folks are looking at.”

According to von Spakvosky, it is typical across the U.S. that state parties are not beholden to any previous primary results when selecting a replacement candidate.

At this point, Democrats can only use their political and financial influence to convince Platner to pave the way for a new candidate.

So far, Representative Ro Khanna (D., Calif.), Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D., N.Y.), Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.), Senator Ruben Gallego (D., Ariz.) and others have pulled their support. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee also said it will not spend money in Maine if Platner remains the nominee.

But even if Platner steps aside, Democrats are not looking at a deep pool of qualified replacement candidates.

Read more ‘By Design’: Original Platner Accuser Lays Into the New York Times for Deliberately Downplaying Her Story

At least one possible replacement candidate — former Maine Senator Troy Jackson — is facing his own allegations regarding the mistreatment of women.

Jackson launched a Senate exploratory committee on Tuesday, filing paperwork with the Federal Election Commission. He was endorsed by the Democratic Socialists for America during his recent gubernatorial campaign. He also was endorsed for governor by not only uber-progressive Senator Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.), but Platner himself.

While Jackson previously told the Bangor Daily News he believes he is the “best person” to replace Platner, he also said replacing Platner on the ticket “is something [he] never considered.”

Jackson touted his own progressive platform during his run for governor, which included free childcare for people earning up to 125 times the median income, allowing transgender-identifying athletes to compete in women’s sports, and not requiring IDs to vote.

But Jackson’s politics may ultimately factor little into Democrats’ eventual decision, given rumors about his own alleged misconduct that have begun to spread online.

Political group Progressive Victory said it has received “troubling information about not only Jackson’s behavior, but the behavior of many prominent Maine Democrats toward women more broadly.”

“As Maine Senate President in a state senate caucus meeting several years ago, Troy Jackson in a heated disagreement struck a female colleague with a bottle he threw at her,” Progressive Victory posted on X. “There are many witnesses, and it appears this is a widespread open secret within Maine politics and not an isolated incident.”

The group posted screenshots of an internal communication from a Platner Signal chat, referencing the incident. Someone from Jackson’s camp said Jackson threw the water bottle at the ground, according to Progressive Victory.

Jackson did not immediately respond to National Review‘s request for comment regarding the allegations.

Jackson’s proximity to Platner may also prove difficult to overcome in light of the scandals currently plaguing the Platner campaign. However, he is now distancing himself from the scandal-plagued progressive, calling for him to end his campaign “today.”

Read more Graham Platner Reflecting on ‘Path Forward’ After Latest Bombshell Sexual Assault Allegation