Graham Platner has formally withdrawn from the Maine Senate race. Here’s what we know about the process to replace him

By Ethan Cohen, Jeff Zeleny, CNN

(CNN) — Maine Democrats are embarking on a two-week sprint to pick a new nominee for one of the year’s most important races in the wake of Graham Platner’s decision this week to end his Senate campaign after allegations of sexual assault, which he denies.

The new candidate will be elected at a July 25 convention by 601 delegates from across the state, the state Democratic party announced Friday evening.

“The convention will be fair, representative, and as transparent as possible as we all come together in service of our ultimate goal: defeat Susan Collins and win this Senate seat,” state party Chair Charlie Dingman said in a statement.

Of those delegates, 101 will be members of party’s state committee, who had previously been elected to their positions, and 500 will come from the state’s 16 counties. The number of delegates each county will elect is based on turnout from the 2024 primary.

Those county delegates will be elected at local meetings where all registered Democrats can participate. While it’s safe to assume that many delegates will be elected based on which candidate they support, they won’t be formally pledged to vote for them.

Potential delegates have until Wednesday to declare their candidacy, so campaigns will have to rush to first recruit prospective delegates and then work to turn out their supporters for the county meetings to vote for them.

In some ways, the process will be similar to how national parties pick presidential candidates, in which delegates elected from each state are ultimately responsible for choosing their nominees. But while in the modern presidential process delegates generally vote for a candidate based on the results of a popular vote, there won’t be a similar statewide opportunity for voters to express their preference for a specific candidate.

The party defended the decision to not hold a “snap primary” given the compressed timeline they have to select a nominee before a July 27 deadline.

“This process has been created in accordance with Maine state law and the realities of the timing constraints we are under. We are proud that this is one of the most open and inclusive processes that any state party has ever undertaken to replace a Senate nominee,” a note on the party website reads.

When the delegates meet in Bangor, Maine, they’ll vote in rounds until one candidate wins a majority, with the lowest vote-getter eliminated after each round.

That means there will be plenty of opportunity for candidates to try to lobby delegates to their side.

More than half a dozen candidates have said they’re going to run, but it’ll take more than a raised hand to make the ballot.

While candidates have until Wednesday to file a formal declaration of candidacy with the state party, they will then have until July 20 to submit at least 500 signatures from registered Maine Democrats, including at least 50 from no fewer than eight counties.

Friday’s announcement came just hours after Platner formally withdrew from the ballot.

In his withdrawal letter, Platner framed his decision as a way to continue his campaign’s legacy.

“People are desperate for change. For this broken system to be righted. For the American experiment to be furthered,” Platner wrote.

“My name may have been on the ballot, but that ballot line belongs to the people of Maine. As such, please consider this notice as my official withdrawal from consideration for this office.”

This story has been updated with additional information.

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