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Democrats accuse Graham Platner of trying to put ‘thumb on the scale’ of process to replace him

The Guardian – World

1h ago

Democrats accuse Graham Platner of trying to put ‘thumb on the scale’ of process to replace him

Summary

Maine’s embattled US Senate nominee has faced calls to withdraw after a sexual assault allegation he denies Sign up for the Breaking News US newsletter email Graham Platner, the embattled Democratic nominee for US Senate in Maine, has been accused of trying to influence the process of picking his replacement amid a chorus of calls for him to withdraw from the race. Platner has publicly said he is “taking the time to reflect on the best path forward” after an allegation of sexual assault, which he denied, was published on Monday . A wave of prominent Democrats, from the progressive senator Bernie Sanders to the Senate minority leader, Chuck Schumer, urged him to stand aside. The Maine election is seen as a key component of the party’s effort to regain control of the US Senate in November’s midterm elections. Platner remains in the race, for now. A senior state Democrat declared on Tuesday evening that Platner’s campaign would have “no role” in selecting his replacement, claiming that his team had tried to sway the process. We have repeatedly reiterated to Graham Platner’s team that they have no role in determining our next Democratic nominee for the US 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. Among them are several figures who ran in last month’s gubernatorial primary: former deputy director of the Maine Center for Disease Control & Prevention, Nirav Shah; secretary of state, Shenna Bellows; and former state senate president, Troy Jackson. Wood has reportedly been fielding calls about entering the Senate race. In order for Democrats to finalize an alternative Senate nominee in Maine, Platner needs to end his campaign by 13 July at 5pm ET, according to state law.

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Bank of England governor says he is ‘able to spot’ lobbying after Farage crypto meeting

Exclusive: Andrew Bailey says no policy changes were made as a result of pressure from crypto tycoon-backed Reform leader The governor of the Bank of England has broken his silence about the pressure Nigel Farage put on him to drop a cryptocurrency policy that could be costly for Reform UK’s billionaire backer, saying he is “able to spot” and resist lobbying. Andrew Bailey’s comments, in a letter seen by the Guardian, come as Farage’s decision not to disclose a £5m gift from the Thailand-based crypto tycoon Christopher Harborne has triggered the biggest crisis of his political career. On Tuesday, the Reform UK leader said he would resign as an MP amid a parliamentary standards investigation into the payment from Harborne and another into undeclared support from his supporter, the convicted fraudster George Cottrell. Denying any wrongdoing, Farage called for a “people versus the establishment” byelection, but the Conservatives, Labour, Restore Britain, the Greens and Liberal Democrats said they would boycott it , accusing him of trying to divert attention from the financial allegations. Farage has said Harborne asked for nothing in return for providing two-thirds of the funding received by Reform and its predecessor, the Brexit party. But the Guardian revealed in June that Farage used a private meeting with Bailey in September to demand that the Bank drop plans for a state-issued rival to the cryptocurrency that appears to make Harborne as much as £1bn a year. I can assure you that we are able to spot this and appropriately discount it.” Bailey goes on: “Following our meeting, Mr Farage spoke with the press outlining that we had discussed a range of topics, including cryptocurrencies.” Farage has, Bailey says, “made his views about cryptocurrency regulation in the UK” and on the Bank’s plan to issue a digital currency “very clear”. Bailey writes: “I am happy to confirm that no policy changes have taken place as a result of interventions by Mr Farage.” Last month, when the Bank issued its updated policy on stablecoins, it said it was still considering issuing its own digital currency. Previously its spokesperson has responded to the Guardian’s questions about Farage’s lobbying on crypto policy by saying: “This is utter rubbish. Reform’s sole piece of draft legislation is a bill that would cut taxes on crypto profits.

General U.S. News25m ago

Washington sees this Senate race as a key test for Democrats. Michigan voters just want to get by

Daily realities of healthcare, prices and Gaza driving wave of anti-establishment sentiment among Democratic voters in closely watched contest In Macomb county, Michigan – a blue-collar Detroit suburb that twice voted for Barack Obama before backing each of Donald Trump’s three runs for the US presidency – residents are exhausted. Time and again, township trustee Shannon King, a Democrat still making up his mind, hears similar complaints. “You’re going backwards in your paycheck. You’re going backwards in your healthcare,” he said. “You go to work every day. And you’re still struggling to do childcare.” These are the realities faced by Michiganders as the Democratic party chooses its candidate for the US Senate contest in the state, one of the most closely followed races in November’s midterm elections. In Fawaz’s estimation, his neighbors who voted for Trump weren’t ever doing it out of love. “They watched the genocide in Gaza, and they saw Biden do absolutely nothing,” he said. “Out of desperation, they looked for other options.” Fawaz believes that in Dearborn, the community is disproportionately attuned to geopolitics, even as it pays comparatively little attention to Congress’s domestic business. It’s the kind of place, he said, where a single senator’s vote on Middle East policy would register directly with the city. “Every single person has family in Lebanon, or Palestinians here who have family back there, wondering on the daily what’s going to happen to them.” El-Sayed has tried to engage this community in Dearborn. El-Sayed has “changed his tone” since running unsuccessfully for governor in 2018, according to Fawaz. “His talking points to the Arabs was a lot different than what it was a few years ago.” El-Sayed, an epidemiologist, has not taken corporate money from political action committees, and hasbeen campaigning for universal healthcare, calling for an end to military aid for Israel over the devastation of Gaza and now south Lebanon, the abolition of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE (immigration enforcement agency)) and an aggressive new AI regulation plan. He describes himself as a capitalist in an oligarchic society, and he’s picked up endorsements from Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Bernie Sanders and Jewish Voice for Peace Action, in the group’s very first endorsement for a US Senate candidate. Stevens, who flipped a Republican seat in the US House of Representatives, has been the choice of much of the party’s Washington wing, including Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer, as well as Detroit News. She wants to expand Obamacare, and has authored a bill to investigate ICE misconduct, though she’s faced criticism over a vote seen as friendly to the agency and over her support for Israel, including a speech where she said she sees Israel in her dreams.

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Democrats accuse Graham Platner of trying to put ‘thumb on the scale’ of process to replace him

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Washington sees this Senate race as a key test for Democrats. Michigan voters just want to get by