The Maine Democratic Party has publicly warned US Senate primary winner Graham Platner that he and his campaign will have "no role" in selecting his potential replacement on the ballot. The warning comes as Platner faces mounting pressure from state and national Democrats to withdraw after a former partner accused him of sexual assault in a Politico report. Platner, who has denied the allegations, has not yet dropped out but says he is weighing "the best path forward" given the political fallout, making the dispute significant for Democrats' hopes of unseating incumbent Republican Senator Susan Collins.

State party Executive Director Devon Murphy-Anderson said in a video posted to X that the party was working "around the clock" to develop an "open, inclusive, transparent, and fair" replacement process, and accused Platner's team of repeatedly trying to "put their thumb on the scale". Platner won the nomination on 9 June, celebrating in Blue Hill, Maine, roughly a month before the party moved to force him out, with less than a week remaining before the deadline to lock in a candidate. A Platner campaign official disputed the party's characterisation, saying it had only sought to "understand what this process would look like" and never tried to influence it, arguing that the thousands of Maine residents who voted and volunteered for him should have a say in the decision.