Democratic Senate nominee Graham Platner suspended his Maine campaign Wednesday, two days after a woman told Politico he had sexually assaulted her at her home in 2021 and after Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee warned they would not spend on the race if he stayed on the ballot.
Platner's exit strips Democrats of the nominee they had chosen for one of the party's few pickup targets outside states President Trump carried in 2024 and forces the Maine Democratic Party to file a replacement by a July 27 state-law deadline, less than four months before Election Day. Democrats need a net gain of four seats to capture the Senate majority, and the seat held by five-term Republican Sen. Susan Collins is one of only two opportunities outside states Trump carried by double digits.
The allegation
Politico reported Monday that Jenny Racicot, 41, said Platner appeared uninvited at her Maine home in 2021, appearing intoxicated, and forced himself on her over her repeated objections. Racicot said she cut off contact after telling Platner the encounter was not consensual. In an 11-minute video posted to X on Wednesday, Platner called the allegation "false" and said it "was not remotely true." He said his decision to withdraw "most certainly is not" an admission of guilt.
The unraveling
Within hours of the Politico story, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Sen. Bernie Sanders, Sen. Ruben Gallego, Sen. Martin Heinrich and Rep. Ro Khanna — the progressives who had propelled Platner past establishment favorite Gov. Janet Mills in the June 9 primary — rescinded endorsements. Warren said there "can be no tolerance for sexual assault." Khanna called the accusation "serious and credible." The DSCC and the Maine Democratic Party ended their backing the same day.
Platner, a Marine veteran and oyster farmer, had already survived earlier stories about a chest tattoo he said carried a Nazi association and Reddit posts in which he wrote that assault victims should "take some responsibility for themselves." A June New York Times story reported he had exchanged sexual messages with other women during his marriage, which he acknowledged. Two people with knowledge of the campaign told NBC News that Platner had assured Democrats no further allegations of that nature were coming.
The replacement race
The Maine Democratic Party said Wednesday night it will hold a nominating convention with hundreds of delegates to pick a successor. Dan Kleban, founder of Maine Beer Company, said he will enter. Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows and public health official Nirav Shah said they are weighing a run. Troy Jackson, a former state Senate leader from Aroostook County and until this week a Platner ally, filed exploratory paperwork Wednesday and released a poll showing him leading Collins. Platner must file to withdraw by July 13, and Maine Democratic Party Executive Director Devon-Murphy Anderson said the campaign has "no role in determining our next Democratic nominee."
The counterview
A Fox News opinion column argued the sequence exposed uneven media handling of #MeToo allegations, contending that the networks had underplayed earlier New York Times reports on Platner's ex-girlfriends and old Reddit posts before Politico's story forced Democratic hands. On CNN in June, Times investigative reporter Jodi Kantor said the earlier accusations against Platner "are not classic #MeToo accusations" because they were "mostly made in the context of consensual relationships." Platner said Wednesday he learned of the Racicot claim "through press inquiries with no time to truly respond, no time for investigations before a corporate media system and the political establishment got to act as judge, jury, and executioner."
Platner is the second major Democratic candidate to leave a 2026 race after sexual-assault allegations, following Rep. Eric Swalwell's April withdrawal from the California governor's race. The Maine Democratic Party said it will announce the convention's full timeline in the coming days.