On Tuesday night, Devon Murphy-Anderson, executive director of the Maine Democratic Party, issued a video statement to provide an update on what is occurring on the party's end as they seek to replace U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner and choose someone else to run against Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME). Murphy-Anderson made two things crystal clear: 1) the Platner campaign needed to stop bothering them, and 2) the Platner campaign had no leverage or right to dictate their reselection process.
This is not the story that Platner's team has been telling, as my colleague Nick Arama reported.
He has not made a decision on whether to drop out, according to a person familiar with the campaign’s internal discussions, who added there was no guarantee he would drop out even as Democrats abandoned his campaign. “If he was to step down it would only be with a guarantee of being replaced by a candidate who he believes is true to the values and vision and policy agenda of the campaign that Maine voted for,” said the person, who was granted anonymity because they were not authorized to speak about the discussions publicly.
Is he kidding? This bozo thinks he gets to dictate terms as to who would replace him? That takes some kind of gall. Now this is going to taint whoever gets picked, if it is viewed that he influenced the picking. This is what the Democrats have reduced themselves to. Great job here, guys. You put yourselves in this position.
Platner did indeed, and this is Murphy-Anderson setting the record straight. Platner has already been thrown under the bus by Democrats and Democrat funding arms, including the Maine Democrats. This is them running over him once again, backing up, and leaving deep tire tracks on his back to ensure the demise of his candidacy.
Murphy-Anderson's video statement begins:
"Hi everyone, I wanted to provide you an update on the U.S. Senate race here in Maine.
"As you know, the Maine Democratic Party has been working around the clock to develop a process to replace our U.S. Senate nominee that is open, inclusive, transparent, and fair.
"The integrity of this process is just as important as the outcome, and we are committed to ensuring that Democrats across our state can have confidence in both."
Ummm... I think that ship has sailed. "Integrity" would have been getting rid of this extremely tainted candidate after the Nazi Totenkopf tattoo. Instead, with all that baggage, he was still elected in the primary with huge numbers. Now they're trying to push him out. So, what their process shows is that nobody believes in anything except winning at any cost.
Read More: Report: Platner Seeking 'Guarantee' Before Exiting Race As Replacement Buzz Grows
Platner Rape Accuser’s Reason for Not Coming Forward Sooner Is Peak Liberal Mind Virus
Murphy-Anderson continues:
"Unfortunately, Graham Platner's team has repeatedly reached out to us in an attempt to put their thumb on the scale of what this process looks like.
"We have repeatedly reiterated to Graham Platner's team that they have no role in determining our next Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate, nor in determining what this process looks like. We have also reiterated that Graham Platner must drop out of this race so that Democrats in Maine can focus on defeating Susan Collins this November.
"We look forward to making this process public as soon as Graham Platner formally withdraws from this race."
In other words: Don't go away, mad, Graham, Just Go!
WATCH:
Update from Maine Democratic Party Executive Director Devon Murphy-Anderson on the Maine Senate race. pic.twitter.com/Jzj9ofinU8
— Maine Democrats (@MaineDems) July 8, 2026
The Platner team spit back at Murphy-Anderson's message, indicating they do not plan to go quietly.
A Platner campaign official fires back at @MaineDems, telling NBC News: “The Platner campaign has reached out to the party to try and understand what this process would look like. At no point has the campaign tried to ‘put its finger on the scale.’ Over 150,000 Mainers voted for… https://t.co/l9CbmYkCE6
— Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur) July 8, 2026
A Platner campaign official fires back at @MaineDems, telling NBC News: “The Platner campaign has reached out to the party to try and understand what this process would look like. At no point has the campaign tried to ‘put its finger on the scale.’ Over 150,000 Mainers voted for this movement, and over 15,000 Mainers volunteered their time and energy to it. While Graham wouldn't want to be a part of the process, he would want to make sure the voters and volunteers make this decision — not the political establishment.”
Platner has until July 13 to bow out. While he no longer has Democrat Party or donor backing, Platner still has his wealthy parents, and they have propped him up all his life. Who knows, they may be ready to bet the oyster farm in order to keep their son in the race.
The saga continues.
Editor’s Note: The 2026 Midterms will determine the fate of President Trump’s America First agenda. Republicans must maintain control of both chambers of Congress.
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