Graham Platner drops out of Senate race, allowing Maine Democrats to replace him

Graham Platner drops out of Senate race, allowing Maine Democrats to replace him. Graham Platner announced Wednesday he's ending his Senate campaign, capping a chaotic few days of uncertainty and Democratic infighting and leaving the party without a candidate in the vitally important Maine race this fall. The announcement by the populist progressive came after a woman he dated accused him of sexual assault in 2021, causing his support to hemorrhage even among top Democratic allies, who rescinded their endorsements and called on him to drop out. In a video message on X, Platner denied the allegation as "false" but said it has "placed an immense amount of weight" on him, as he has until only Monday to decide whether to continue his candidacy. "What comes next needs to come from the people, needs to come from the people of Maine," Platner said. "We believe that for the movement to continue, it can't be me. And for that reason, we are suspending campaign operations," Platner continued. "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." The Maine Democratic Party now has the option to replace Platner on the ballot by a July 27 deadline set by state law. Platner's exit came after Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and the Democratic campaign arm warned in no uncertain terms that the national party "will not invest in the Maine Senate race if Platner remains on the ballot." "Any accusation of nonconsensual behavior is categorically untrue," Platner said, firmly denying the allegation. In his video message Wednesday night, Platner encouraged his supporters to "keep fighting" for the values and policies of his campaign. "We're going to win some day," he said.