Elizabeth Warren’s name is now tied to the Maine Senate race deadline because Graham Platner had not filed an official withdrawal notice with the Maine department of the secretary of state as of Thursday morning. Jana Spaulding said the office had received “no official withdrawal notice has yet been received” and that a public declaration is not enough.
The filing rule matters because Democrats in Maine need Platner’s formal withdrawal by 13 July at 5pm ET to open a two-week window for a replacement nominee. That window would run until 5pm ET on 27 July.
Jana Spaulding and the Elections office
Spaulding said a candidate must withdraw to the Elections office in writing, including a signature. She also said a withdrawal notice may arrive by email if it is a scanned letter attached as a PDF and includes a signature.
That leaves the process tied to paperwork, not public statements. Platner’s status is what controls whether Democrats in Maine can move to a substitute candidate on the ballot under the state deadline.
Shenna Bellows enters the race
Shenna Bellows announced her candidacy to replace Platner as the Democratic nominee for US Senate in Maine. Earlier this year, she ran for governor and finished in fourth place in the June Democratic primary for Governor.
Earlier this week, Bellows called the allegations against Platner “extremely serious” and said he needs to step down. On Thursday afternoon, she wrote that “the people of Maine have been building something real – a movement that deserves to go all the way to November,” added, “I’ve spent my entire career taking on tough fights for working people, and I’m not stopping now,” and said, “I’m running for United States Senate, and together we are going to defeat Susan Collins.”
The complication is simple: Bellows is running to replace Platner while the state office says it still has not received the notice that would make that replacement possible. A separate poll released Thursday of just under 1,000 likely voters in Maine found Bellows and Susan Collins tied at 47%-47%.
Has Graham Platner actually submitted the signed written withdrawal required by the Elections office? Until that reaches the Maine department of the secretary of state by 13 July at 5pm ET, Democrats lose the stated replacement window and Bellows’s bid stays ahead of the paperwork.
