Maine Democratic Party Executive Director Devon Murphy-Anderson stated Tuesday that the campaign of Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner has attempted to influence the process of selecting a replacement nominee after sexual assault allegations surfaced against Platner.

"The integrity of this process is just as important as the outcome, and we are committed to ensuring that Democrats across our state can have confidence in both," Murphy-Anderson said in a video posted on the social platform X. She added, "Unfortunately, Graham Platner’s team has repeatedly reached out to us in an attempt to put their thumb on the scale of what this process looks like. We have repeatedly reiterated to Graham Platner’s team that they have no role in determining our next Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate."

When contacted for comment, Platner’s campaign responded that it had "reached out to the party to try and understand what this process would look like." The campaign denied trying to influence the process, stating, "At no point has the campaign tried to ‘put its finger on the scale.’ Over 150,000 Mainers voted for this movement, and over 15,000 Mainers volunteered their time and energy to it."

The controversy follows a report by Politico earlier Monday in which Jenny Racicot, a woman who previously dated Platner, alleged that he forced her to have sex while he was intoxicated five years ago. Platner has vehemently denied the accusations in a video posted on X.

On Monday, Platner said his campaign was "taking the time to reflect on the best path forward."

Sources