Graham Platner suspends Maine Senate campaign amid sexual assault allegation
Democratic Senate nominee Graham Platner suspended his Maine campaign after a woman accused him of sexual assault in 2021. State Democrats will choose a replacement nominee by July 27.
Democratic nominee Graham Platner announced July 8 that he is suspending his campaign for U.S. Senate in Maine after a woman he previously dated accused him of sexual assault in 2021. His withdrawal sets in motion a process for the state party to choose a replacement nominee to run against incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins.
In an 11-minute video statement posted to social media, Platner denied the allegation as “false” but said it has “placed an immense amount of weight” on him. He said that if he remained in the race, he would lose his ability to fundraise, access voter data, or run a campaign.
“We believe that for the movement to continue, it can’t be me. And for that reason, we are suspending campaign operations,” Platner said. “We’re not doing it because of the allegations, we’re doing it because of the structures that are being taken away from us by those in power.”
As Zeale News previously reported, hours after the sexual assault allegation surfaced in a July 6 Politico report, a wave of Democrats urged Platner to withdraw and pulled their former endorsements. The Maine Democratic Party also called on him to leave the race, and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., chair of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, said the Senate Democrats’ campaign arm would not spend money on the Maine Senate race if Platner remained the nominee.
Platner, a 41-year-old oyster farmer, Marine Corps veteran, and political newcomer, won the Democratic primary June 9 after two-term Democratic Gov. Janet Mills suspended active campaigning in late April. He tapped into rising populist energy within the Democratic base, gaining endorsements from prominent progressives, including Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. All have since pulled their endorsements.
Platner’s candidacy had already faced serious scrutiny over past online comments that critics said minimized military sexual assault, as well as previous allegations of mistreatment of women and sexually explicit text messages he sent to women while married, Zeale News reported.
Maine Democrats will have until July 27 under state law to choose a new nominee. According to Politico, several names have already signaled interest, including former state Senate President Troy Jackson, former public health official Nirav Shah, and Dan Kleban, who dropped out of the Democratic Senate primary earlier this year to support Mills.
Earlier on July 8, the Maine Democratic Party said on X that it would hold a nominating convention to pick Platner’s replacement candidate and plans to “announce the full timeline” and details and requirements for candidates soon.
“There is an unprecedented amount of energy and enthusiasm among Maine Democrats, driven in part by many of the dedicated volunteers and supporters who were inspired by Graham Platner’s campaign,” the party said. “We look forward to coming together and harnessing that energy around our new nominee as we work to defeat Susan Collins in November.”
