Graham Platner has told his aids that he is going to wait until the last minute to officially withdraw from the race.
Here’s the reporting:
SCOOP: Platner privately told staff he'll formally exit Senate race Mondayhttps://t.co/KSlNvlbYF4
— Axios (@axios) July 9, 2026
Graham Platner privately told staff that he is planning to officially file paperwork to end his Senate campaign on Monday — the drop-dead deadline for him to exit the race.
Why it matters: Though Democrats largely appear to think Platner is done with his bid, his last-minute timing is likely to cause a final pang of anxiety within the party.
Platner made the comments to his team Wednesday night shortly before he announced publicly he was suspending his campaign.
Under state law, Platner has until Monday at 5 p.m. to drop out of the race in time for the party to replace him with a new nominee.
As of about 1 p.m. Thursday, Platner had not officially withdrawn from the race, according to the Maine Secretary of State.
“No official withdrawal notice has yet been received from Mr. Platner,” said Jana Spaulding, deputy secretary of state for communications. “A public declaration is not an official withdrawal, and a candidate must formally withdraw to the elections office in writing, including signature.”
A Platner spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Platner, who has wanted to appoint his successor, still has quite a bit of power right now. If he waits too long, Democrats lose the ability to choose someone to replace him. And it sounds like to me he’s trying to make this point.