The Maine Democratic Party is urging Graham Platner to withdraw from Maine’s U.S. Senate race without delay and criticized his campaign for attempting to affect the process of selecting a candidate who would replace him.

Platner, who was nominated last month after getting more than 70% of the primary vote, has seen his support collapse after Politico reported about a Maine woman accusing him of sexual assault in 2021. He denied having raped the woman.

The 41-year-old political newcomer has faced calls to drop out from all corners, including prominent supporters as well as state and national party leaders who are concerned about the party blowing what many see as the Democrats’ best Senate pickup opportunity this cycle.

Platner has until Monday to inform the Maine Department of the Secretary of State that he’s dropping out, a move that would allow the party to replace him. But state law and the party’s charter are vague about the process, and seem to give the party broad discretion in choosing a replacement.

A spokesperson for the Maine Democratic Party said the process would be “open, transparent and inclusive.” But nothing can happen until Platner drops out.

“If the Platner campaign does not suspend by the 13th, there will be no option to select a new nominee,” the party said in a statement. “The sooner this process can begin the more time we will have to administer an intentional and inclusive process for Mainers and Democrats.”

The party lashed out at the Platner camp Tuesday night for what it said were attempts to have a role in determining who would take his place.

“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,” Devon Murphy-Anderson, executive director of the Maine Democratic Party, said in a statement.

“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’ve repeatedly reiterated to Graham Platner’s team that they have no role in determining our next Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate, nor in determining what this process looks like. We have also reiterated that Graham Platner must drop out of this race so that Democrats in Maine can focus on defeating Susan Collins this November.

“We look forward to making this process public as soon as Graham Platner formally withdraws from this race.”

Three people close to the discussions say that no decisions have been made, but party officials are trying to establish a procedure that does not privilege any candidate.

The individuals, whom the Portland Press Herald agreed not to name so they could speak about internal discussions, said party leaders want to include as many voices as possible while meeting the July 27 deadline to name a replacement.

The sources say officials are leaning toward holding an in-person convention, with nominations for candidates coming from an assembly of party members. Each county committee could be asked to elect delegates to participate in the selection of a replacement candidate.

Despite widespread calls to drop out, Platner has not spoken publicly about his plans since posting a video yesterday in which he denied the allegations that his ex-romantic partner, Jenny Racicot, made against him in a story published by Politico.

Racicot, a Maine Democrat, said Platner entered her home one night while drunk without permission and forced her to have sex with him. She said she repeatedly told him to stop, but he forced himself onto her. In a subsequent interview, she told CNN that despite her protestations, she eventually felt her safest option was to comply with his advances. She cut off contact with him after the incident.

The sources told the Press Herald that Platner is trying to use his leverage as the existing nominee to influence the replacement process and who replaces him.

At least three candidates who ran in Democratic primaries for governor and Congress have expressed an interest in replacing Platner.

The former gubernatorial candidates include former Maine Senate President Troy Jackson, who, like Platner, was endorsed by Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders; and Nirav Shah, the state’s former director of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

Shah earned the most first-round votes in the governor’s race, but lost in the ranked-choice runoff to Hannah Pingree. Jackson came in third.

Meanwhile, Jordan Wood, a former congressional staffer, said Tuesday he would be “humbled” if Democrats chose him as the replacement candidate. Wood originally launched a campaign for U.S. Senate before dropping out and running for the Democratic nomination for the 2nd Congressional District. He came in third behind State Auditor Matt Dunlap and state Sen. Joe Baldacci.

Democrats need to flip four seats to control the U.S. Senate. Republican Sen. Susan Collins, who is seeking a sixth term, is the only Senate Republican running in a state won by Democrats in the 2024 presidential election.