Platner campaign quietly polls potential replacements as pressure mounts

This post was originally published on Politico.

Democratic Maine Senate nominee Graham Platner’s team quietly fielded a poll Tuesday gauging the strength of people who could replace him on the ballot, as pressure mounts for him to drop out of the race.

The flash poll, obtained by POLITICO, was conducted by Public Policy Polling and commissioned by Platner’s campaign, according to a person with knowledge of the survey who was granted anonymity to discuss it. It tested head-to-head matchups between Republican Sen. Susan Collins and Platner, along with five possible Democratic replacements for Platner, including former Maine state Senate President Troy Jackson and Secretary of State Shenna