NPR News: 07-07-2026 7PM EDT

Speaker 10:00

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Ryland Barton· Host0:13

Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Ryland Barton. Democrats across the country are withdrawing support from Maine US Senate candidate Graham Platner after a sexual assault allegation, which he denies. If he drops out, Democrats are divided on who should replace him, and Maine law has tight deadlines for replacing candidates, as Maine Public's Steve Mistler explains.

Steve Mistler0:35

That deadline is Monday, July 13th, at 5:00 PM, and if Platner formally withdraws from the race with the Secretary of State by then, Democrats can actually replace him on the ballot, but they have only until July 27th to, to do so, and that's about two weeks away, so just like with President Joe Biden's withdrawal from the 2024 presidential race, that's just not a lot of time for state Democrats to figure out a process to replace him.

Ryland Barton· Host1:00

Maine Public's Steve Mistler reporting. Maryland lawmakers will convene for a special session this August to consider constitutional changes that could pave the way for a new Democratic-leaning congressional map. WYPR's Sarah Petrowicz has more.

Sarah Petrowicz1:14

Up until now, Maryland's Democratic-controlled legislature could not agree on if it should fight back against President Trump's call to Republican-led states to redraw their congressional boundaries. Maryland's Democratic Senate President Bill Ferguson has been the main obstacle in passing a map.