AUGUSTA, Maine — Maine Democrats are heading into the weekend without releasing firm details on how they will replace former U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner with those tasked with running the caucuses fretting about the “daunting” task.
The party’s state committee has agreed on a roughly 600-member convention to select a new candidate after Graham Platner dropped out of the race following sexual assault allegations. Though party officials have repeatedly stressed the need for a transparent and inclusive process to choose a replacement, it’s not exactly clear how the convention will work.
Democrats in each county will select 500 delegates to attend the statewide convention with another 100 or so from the state committee. The convention will likely be held in Bangor on the weekend of July 25th. But inconsistent information was leaking out from the counties at the end of the week as the party faces down an unprecedented task.
For example, Oxford County Democrats scheduled a July 19 caucus in South Paris on Thursday but walked the announcement back Friday, saying it had been “prematurely released.” Hancock County Chair Marcia Myers, posted that there would be an emergency county caucus within days, but provided few details. Somerset County Democrats shared a Google form for those interested in becoming delegates, with applications due Sunday.
Many Democrats have said they want to see a uniform process. It’s not clear how any selection process could apply uniformly to Piscataquis County, population 17,000, and Cumberland County, population 310,000, which will likely have to elect more than 100 delegates at a single meeting.
“If we ultimately need to elect well over 100 delegates, the logistics become daunting, and quite frankly, impossible,” Cumberland County Chair Joseph Zamboni wrote in a Facebook post that he said was a personal musing and did not reflect party deliberations. “I’m sure there are other creative approaches that deserve consideration, and every option comes with both advantages and drawbacks.”
One state committee member granted anonymity to discuss deliberations said local votes would be held soon, but it wasn’t clear whether delegate candidates would be nominated from the floor or have to make themselves known in advance of a vote. Unaffiliated voters, many of whom were able to vote in the June primary under a new Maine law, will likely be excluded.
In Kennebec County, party chair Joanne Mason asked for patience and said she would not have an outsized role in delegate selection.
“Kennebec’s delegates will be selected through a democratic process … full stop,” she wrote in a Facebook post. “I will be voting for members just like everyone else who attends the meeting where delegates are chosen. My role is to facilitate a fair process, not to hand‑pick anyone.”
A group of progressives urged the party to reopen its process in a Friday letter. Across the board, Democratic chairs are expressing that nothing is set in stone and more information on the process of selecting delegates will be available in the coming days.
“There are only imperfect options, and the challenge is finding the one that best balances those competing priorities.” Zamboni wrote in his post.
Daniel O’Connor is a Report for America corps member who covers rural government as part of the partnership between The Maine Monitor and the Bangor Daily News, with additional support from BDN and Monitor readers.