Maine lawmaker says Platner urged her to run for Senate if he exits
maine State Rep. Valli Geiger revealed that Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner privately encouraged her to run in his place amid ongoing controversy surrounding his campaign. Platner has not officially endorsed anyone and has only expressed gratitude to Geiger for her support. He is considering stepping aside due to allegations of inappropriate behavior, including accusations from women and a recent rape claim by an ex-girlfriend, which threaten his campaign to challenge Senator Susan collins. Meanwhile, Troy Jackson has also expressed interest in replacing Platner if he withdraws and showed stronger polling results for such a move. The Maine Democratic party has urged Platner to step down and is working on a process to select a new nominee, as he has refused to formally exit the race. The controversy comes amidst wider discussions about the candidate’s past posts, allegations, and declining support, complicating one of the nation’s closely watched Senate races.
Maine state Rep. Valli Geiger on Wednesday said Democratic Senate nominee Graham Platner privately nudged her to seek to replace him if he suspended his bid for office as his campaign remains embroiled in controversy.
Geiger told WMTW that Platner called her Monday evening and threw his support behind her, saying, “Valli, you are a fighter, you have been with this movement since the beginning.” Geiger said Platner then asked if he could put her name forward, and she said yes. Geiger said Platner also supports former state Sen. Troy Jackson and Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows as candidates to succeed him as the party’s standard-bearer in comments to Midcoast Villager, saying she would gladly step back for those candidates if needed.
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After Geiger’s comments, Platner’s campaign noted he hadn’t made a public endorsement. The development comes as it is viewed as increasingly likely that Platner could step aside to make way for a more viable candidate after several women have come forward accusing him of inappropriate behavior, including one ex-girlfriend who alleged he raped her on Monday, threatening to derail his campaign.
“He’s not made any decision on endorsing. Graham called Valli to thank her for her support and encouraged her to consider running if he stepped down,” Platner’s campaign told NOTUS.
Geiger has represented House District 4, which includes Rockland and part of Owls Head, since 2020. She was a strong supporter of Platner in the primary and has emphasized that she would fight to preserve his progressive economic and healthcare policy goals, such as “Medicare for All.”
“I am in to protect that platform, to protect that movement,” she told the Bangor Daily News.
Jackson, a former state senator who lost last month’s Democratic primary for Maine governor, has also put himself forward to replace Platner on the ticket should he drop out. In polling Platner’s campaign conducted Tuesday to see which possible replacement candidate has the best chance of flipping the Senate seat in November, Jackson performed best, according to Politico. Unlike Geiger, Jackson has sought to put more distance between himself and Platner, telling NBC News that he doesn’t want the candidate’s endorsement.
“It’s unfortunate, but I just don’t want it,” Jackson said.
Platner is a progressive who was endorsed by prominent socialists such as Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) before a series of his years-old Reddit posts, allegations of inappropriate behavior, and a Nazi tattoo bled support for the Marine veteran, threatening to destabilize his campaign. The debacle occurred as he is engaged in one of the toughest Senate races in the country, targeting Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) in a seat that Democrats had viewed as one of their best bets nationwide to flip blue.
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The Maine Democratic Party urged Platner to step aside after Jenny Racicot came forward on Monday with claims that he raped her. Platner has denied all allegations and refused so far to step aside, though he released a video following Racicot’s claims announcing that he was taking a break from the campaign.
On Wednesday, the Maine Democratic Party issued a statement saying it is “focused on developing a representative, transparent and inclusive process to select a new nominee when he chooses to withdraw from the race.” The statement also sought to appeal to Platner’s supporters, though it expressed frustration “with Graham Platner’s continued efforts to manipulate this process.”
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