{"id":681477,"date":"2026-07-09T02:03:08","date_gmt":"2026-07-09T02:03:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/681477\/"},"modified":"2026-07-09T02:03:08","modified_gmt":"2026-07-09T02:03:08","slug":"graham-platner-ends-maine-senate-campaign-after-sexual-assault-allegation-maine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/681477\/","title":{"rendered":"Graham Platner ends Maine Senate campaign after sexual assault allegation | Maine"},"content":{"rendered":"

Graham Platner, the Democratic nominee for US Senate<\/a> in Maine, is suspending his campaign following sexual assault allegations.<\/p>\n

Platner announced his decision in an 11-minute video<\/a> posted to social media on Wednesday evening, in which he angrily accused the Democratic establishment and corporate media of \u201cusing these allegations to take away all of the things we need to run a campaign\u201d and acting \u201cas judge, jury and executioner\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor the movement to continue, it can\u2019t be me,\u201d he said. \u201cFor that reason, we are suspending campaign operations.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the video, Platner vehemently stood by his assertion that the accusations were \u201cnot remotely true\u201d, claiming they were driven by \u201clarge forces … working against [him] personally\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is all false,\u201d Platner said of the allegations. \u201cThe things that have been claimed did not happen. It\u2019s not real.\u201d<\/p>\n

The oyster farmer and marine veteran \u2013 whose populist platform packed town halls, raised millions early in the race, earned support from progressive stars like Bernie Sanders and built enough momentum to force his primary challenger, Governor Janet Mills, to suspend her bid \u2013 has been dogged by controversy since entering the Senate contest last year, including over his conduct in past romantic relationships, his social media history and a since-removed tattoo of a Nazi symbol.<\/p>\n

Platner faced fresh scrutiny on Monday after a woman who dated him made allegations in Politico<\/a> that he forced her to have sex nearly five years ago despite repeated objections. Jenny Racicot, 41, said she had an on\u2011and\u2011off relationship with Platner for more than two years. She alleges that in late 2021, an intoxicated Platner entered her home uninvited and forced himself on her. She said she cut off contact after the encounter.<\/p>\n

Platner rejected the allegations in a video posted on social media on Monday. \u201cAny accusation of non-consensual behavior is categorically false,\u201d he said in a direct\u2011to\u2011camera message. While calling the reporting inaccurate, he said his campaign was \u201cmindful of the political reality\u201d the accusation \u201cwill inflict\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are taking the time to reflect on the best path forward for the state that I love, the people that I love, the movement I belong to,\u201d he added after the report.<\/p>\n

But the allegations quickly prompted Democrats, including Senate leader Chuck Schumer, to call on Platner to drop out<\/a> of the race. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee \u2013 the party\u2019s main vehicle for fundraising, recruitment, and helping to elect Senate candidates \u2013 said it would not spend money on the Maine race if Platner did not withdraw his candidacy.<\/p>\n

Platner\u2019s rise, built on anti\u2011oligarchy messaging and a populist platform, propelled him to a comfortable primary win after Mills exited the race amid his surging popularity.<\/p>\n

But the scandals began early \u2013 and never stopped. Racist, sexist and homophobic Reddit posts surfaced, which the former marine attributed to PTSD from his military service. Platner then attempted to pre-empt opposition research by revealing he had covered a tattoo that closely resembled a Totenkopf, a widely recognized Nazi symbol.<\/p>\n

More reports emerged shortly before the June Democratic primary: first sexually explicit texts with women outside his marriage, then allegations of abusive and \u201cunsettling\u201d behavior in past relationships. One former partner, a Republican operative, alleged Platner twisted her arm behind her back and held her in a room, and said Platner knew his tattoo was a Nazi emblem despite claiming otherwise. Platner denied the allegations at the time, calling them \u201cpolitically motivated\u201d.<\/p>\n

The scrutiny resumed with Politico\u2019s report on Monday, and continued on Tuesday after the Washington Post reported<\/a> that an ex\u2011girlfriend alleged that Platner removed condoms without her consent during sex on at least six occasions.<\/p>\n

Democrats have viewed Maine as a crucial opportunity to pick up a US Senate seat and regain control of the upper chamber in US Congress. The party\u2019s candidate will face five\u2011term Republican incumbent Susan Collins.<\/p>\n

Platner amassed a slate of high\u2011profile endorsements throughout the race. Bernie Sanders, the independent senator from Vermont, was among the first to back him, followed by Democratic senators Elizabeth Warren, Martin Heinrich and Ruben Gallego. All of the lawmakers rescinded their endorsements after the latest allegations.<\/p>\n

Platner\u2019s withdrawal triggers a tight window \u2013 until 27 July \u2013 for Democrats to select a replacement candidate under Maine<\/a> law.<\/p>\n

An array of Democrats have already expressed interest in the nomination. Troy Jackson, a former state senator who ran for governor earlier this year, quickly announced his candidacy shortly after Platner\u2019s campaign suspension, as did Dan Kleban, the owner of Maine Beer Company who ran in the Senate primary before dropping out before the vote. Other possible contenders include the Maine secretary of state, Shenna Bellows; former Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention director Nirav Shah; state legislator Valli Geiger; and ex-congressional aide Jordan Wood.<\/p>\n

The Maine Democratic party said Wednesday it plans to hold a nominating convention to select a new candidate.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere 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\u2019s campaign,\u201d party officials said in a statement issued less than an hour before Platner suspended his campaign.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe look forward to coming together and harnessing that energy around our new nominee as we work to defeat Susan Collins in November.\u201d<\/p>\n

Platner, in his Wednesday video, said the process to select a new candidate should reflect the will of his primary voters. Earlier reports indicated Platner was hoping to influence who would replace him in the general election.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe next Democratic senator for Maine needs to belong to the people of Maine,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Republicans, meanwhile, immediately took Platner\u2019s departure from the race as an opportunity to attack Democrats.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaine Democrats elected a rapist Nazi to be their nominee for Senate, and regardless of who they anoint next, Susan Collins will be re-elected in November,\u201d said Samantha Cantrell, regional press secretary for the National Republican Senatorial Committee.<\/p>\n

\u201cDemocrats rolled in the mud with Platner, and now they are completely stained by their association with this sick monster,\u201d said Republican National Committee chair Joe Gruters.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Graham Platner, the Democratic nominee for US Senate in Maine, is suspending his campaign following sexual assault allegations.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":681478,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[49,50,51,47,52,48],"class_list":["post-681477","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-headlines","tag-news","tag-top-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topnews","tag-topstories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/681477","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=681477"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/681477\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/681478"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=681477"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=681477"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=681477"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}