With Graham Platner's exit from Senate race looming, Democrats line up to replace him

With Graham Platner's exit from Senate race looming, Democrats line up to replace him To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.This video can not be playedFigure caption, Watch: Graham Platner announces he’s dropping out of Maine’s US Senate raceByNardine SaadPublished19 minutes agoWith the looming withdrawal of beleaguered Democratic candidate Graham Platner from Maine's Senate election, the race is already on for who will take his place on the ballot.After Platner suspended his campaign in the wake of misconduct allegations, several other left-wing candidates and a few moderates threw their hats in the ring.Maine's Democrats plan to hold a convention to find a contender for taking on Republican Senator Susan Collins in November's congressional elections. They face a 13 July deadline for Platner to withdraw, followed by 27 July to name a replacement.The race is seen as pivotal to Democrats' longshot bid to win control of the US Senate in November's midterm elections.Platner's disastrous candidacy exposes rifts that could dampen Democrats' Senate hopesPublished17 hours agoNationally, too, the midterms look like an uphill battle for Democrats to win a majority in the upper chamber of Congress, where they hope to put checks on President Donald Trump's power. Along with unseating Collins - the longest-serving Republican woman in the Senate - Democrats must hold on to all their existing seats and then gain three more.Platner won over Democrats in Maine's recent primary with an outsider persona and populist views, but he was dogged duriung his run by misconduct allegations, which he denied. Now candidates to replace him are walking a fine line between aligning with the policies that he successfully ran on while proving they can take on Collins and her formidable operation.Over the last few days, hopefuls have made their ambitions known, even before Platner announced his campaign suspension. Public...