Graham Platner Cancels Fundraisers, Pulls Down Ads As He Mulls Campaign Future

Graham Platner’s campaign has canceled upcoming fundraisers and paused some online ads as he faces mounting calls to exit the Maine Senate race.

Platner’s campaign has now iced all in-person fundraising, canceling at least a half-dozen planned events that had been penciled in over coming days, per a person with direct knowledge of the move, granted anonymity to discuss internal campaign deliberations. It comes on the heels of widespread calls from Democrats — including nearly all of his high-profile former supporters and a majority of Senate Democrats — for him to drop out and let the party select a replacement to face GOP Sen. Susan Collins. The campaign has also put holds on its ads on Facebook and Instagram, according to the platform’s tracker.

The moves are the most concrete signs yet that Platner may be preparing to exit the race in the wake of an exclusive POLITICO report that a woman who Platner dated said he forced her to have sex with him.

Representatives for Platner’s campaign did not immediately return requests for comment.

Platner has denied the sexual assault allegation and said immediately after the article published that he is “taking the time to reflect” on his candidacy.

Platner must exit the race by Monday, July 13, as outlined in Maine state law. If he chooses to drop out by then, the state Democratic Party would determine who will replace him. That person must be named by July 27.

On a call with campaign staff Monday night, Platner suggested a decision was coming, but made no firm commitments, according to a person familiar with the call and granted anonymity to share details. But the timeline appeared to be accelerating on Tuesday as Platner’s support collapsed and Democrats’ biggest campaign arms signaled they would send their money elsewhere if he stayed in.

His donors are recoiling as well.

Marc Weiss, who had organized a virtual fundraiser for Platner slated for Thursday, wrote in an email to attendees Tuesday afternoon that he was pulling the plug.

“In light of the very disturbing allegations against Platner, we have called off the event with him this Thursday,” Weiss wrote in the email obtained by POLITICO. Weiss said he was in talks with the campaign about possible refunds.

“It’s really regrettable, because I really felt he was a really strong candidate,” Weiss said in a phone call Tuesday. “I felt he would be a really strong voice in the Senate.”

Morris Pearl, a Democratic donor and chair of the Patriotic Millionaires who was also on the host committee for the Thursday afternoon fundraiser, confirmed the event was canceled because of “all the uncertainty around [Platner’s] candidacy” following the allegations.

“I’m kind of sad about the whole thing,” Pearl said. Asked if Platner should drop out, Pearl said, “Well, I think he’s about to.”

The Maine Democratic Party is scrambling to figure out a process to pick a nominee should Platner drop out. On Tuesday afternoon, its executive director emailed the members of the Democratic state committee to promise an “open, inclusive, transparent, and fair” process for choosing a successor.

“Whatever process is ultimately adopted must reflect our Democratic values,” Maine Democratic Party Executive Director Devon Murphy-Anderson emailed members. “The integrity of the process is just as important as the outcome, and we are committed to ensuring that Democrats across Maine can have confidence in both.”