{"id":289784,"date":"2026-07-07T23:34:12","date_gmt":"2026-07-07T23:34:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/289784\/"},"modified":"2026-07-07T23:34:12","modified_gmt":"2026-07-07T23:34:12","slug":"graham-platner-holding-democrats-hostage-refusing-to-drop-out-unless-he-gets-to-name-successor-sources","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/289784\/","title":{"rendered":"Graham Platner holding Democrats hostage, refusing to drop out unless he gets to name successor: sources"},"content":{"rendered":"

WASHINGTON \u2014\u00a0Maine Democratic candidate\u00a0Graham Platner\u00a0appears to be holding the Democratic Party hostage and is refusing to drop out\u00a0after being accused of rape<\/a>\u00a0unless he gets to approve his successor to run for the Senate, The Post has learned.<\/p>\n

A source familiar with the campaign discussions said\u00a0Platner, his campaign and political strategist Morris Katz are deliberating about the Maine Democrat dropping out but only if his replacement shares his left-wing values.\u00a0<\/p>\n

And the clock is ticking for Dems \u2014 there\u2019s a\u00a0deadline of Monday for<\/a>\u00a0the 41-year-old oyster farmer\u00a0to withdraw. If he does, state party officials will then initiate what they\u2019ve promised will be an \u201copen\u201d and \u201ctransparent\u201d process to choose another candidate for the ballot.<\/p>\n

Democratic US Senate candidate Graham Platner speaks during a primary election night watch party after winning the Democratic nomination on June 9, 2026, in Blue Hill, Maine. AP Photo\/Robert F. Bukaty<\/p>\n

\u201cThis vibes to me like a play from Bernie Sanders to slide in Troy Jackson,\u201d another source said.<\/p>\n

The first source quipped that Platner apparently \u201cassumes whoever might replace [him] would want a rapist\u2019s endorsement.\u201d The candidate has firmly denied an accusation from ex-girlfriend Jenny Racicot on Monday of sexual assault.<\/p>\n

\u201cHis team is delusional,\u201d this person said, noting that Katz, the campaign strategist\u00a0who helped elect New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, had been recommending Platner stay in the race.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The 27-year-old\u00a0wunderkind works for Fight Agency<\/a>, a Democratic political consulting firm that has helped elevate progressive candidates.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u00a0wants to be the next David Axelrod \u2026 and Mamdani is his Obama,\u201d a third Democratic source added of Katz. \u201cBut obviously Mamdani can\u2019t be the president, so he\u2019s trying to find this white, working-class caricature to take up that mantle.\u201d<\/p>\n

Katz reportedly headed to Maine later Tuesday to select a replacement candidate after Mamdani publicly\u00a0called for Platner \u201cto drop out of the race<\/a>.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Reps for the Platner campaign did not respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n

The Maine Democratic Party requested he withdraw the day before after \u201cmultiple women have made serious, credible allegations.\u201d<\/p>\n

Platner disclosed the controversial skull tattoo on his chest by sharing an embarrassing video showing him singing in only briefs at a wedding celebration for his brother. Pod Save America<\/p>\n

Elderly Vermont independent Sanders \u2014 who was Platner\u2019s biggest backer \u2014 reportedly wants former Maine senate president Troy Jackson to get the Democratic nomination to run against Republican Sen. Susan Collins.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Jackson, a logger-turned-lawmaker who appeared with Platner and Sanders at a \u201cFight the Oligarchy\u201d rally in May, recently came in third in the state\u2019s Democratic gubernatorial primary.<\/p>\n

Both Maine Dems have backed higher taxes on billionaires and a \u201cMedicare for All,\u201d single-payer health care system \u2014 with Platner leaning more into foreign policy issues and denouncing US support for Israel as \u201cshameful<\/a>,\u201d accusing the Jewish State of committing \u201cgenocide\u201d against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.<\/p>\n

The New York Times first reported on the talks that could define the race Democrats\u2019 had hoped would be one of their best chances to regain the Senate.<\/p>\n

Platner is facing off against Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine. AP Photo\/J. Scott Applewhite<\/p>\n

Asked whether Platner\u2019s swift\u00a0hemorrhaging of support in the wake of the allegations from women would force Democratic Party bosses to exert more control over future primaries, strategist James Carville told The Post: \u201cHow can they? They don\u2019t have any control.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you look at what happened to my dear friend Michael Bennett,\u201d Carville said, referring to the former moderate Democratic senator and Colorado gubernatorial candidate, \u201cthe idea that there\u2019s some controlling entity in the Democratic Party \u2014 there\u2019s a council of elders \u2014 it\u2019s just absurd.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not a failure of the Democratic Party. \u2026 The party\u2019s being challenged,\u201d he added.\u00a0\u201cIf there\u2019s any fault with the lack of vetting, it would be with Platner\u2019s own campaign.\u201d<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the latest on the bombshell sexual harassment allegations against lefty Senate candidate Graham Platner:<\/p>\n

Jackson submitted a filing with the Federal Election Commission on Tuesday setting up an exploratory committee to replace Platner on the 2026 ballot, the Bangor Daily News first reported.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a \u2018testing the waters\/exploratory\u2019 committee,\u201d\u00a0the July 7 filing<\/a>\u00a0stated. Its treasurer, Peter Sarasohn, has been earning a salary of roughly $3,000 per month from Sanders\u2019 principal campaign committee since January 2025.<\/p>\n

A website urging Mainers to \u201cDraft Troy\u201d has\u00a0also popped up<\/a>, touting Jackson as a \u201cproven progressive,\u201d \u201clogger by trade and a champion of working people.\u201d<\/p>\n

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and other party leaders have already rescinded their endorsements of Platner in the wake of allegations from the candidate\u2019s ex-girlfriend that he raped her in 2021. AP Photo\/Robert F. Bukaty<\/p>\n

If Platner withdraws, Jackson will likely\u00a0vie with other contenders from the governor\u2019s race<\/a>\u00a0for the Senate Democratic slot: Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows and former CDC Director Nirav Shah, sources said.<\/p>\n

Congressional hopeful Jordan Wood, who lost his\u00a0primary in Maine\u2019s Second Congressional District, as well as Maine Beer Company owner Dan Kleban, who launched a Senate bid before withdrawing last year, are also in the running, according to Democratic insiders.<\/p>\n

Sanders broke his silence<\/a>\u00a0on Platner\u2019s candidacy on Tuesday, saying in a statement:\u00a0\u201cI have spoken with Graham Platner about the best path forward for Maine. In light of these very serious allegations, I have recommended that he step aside.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and other party leaders\u00a0have already rescinded their endorsements<\/a>\u00a0of Platner in the wake of allegations from the candidate\u2019s ex-girlfriend that he raped her in 2021.<\/p>\n

Other high-profile Platner backers like Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) also called for him to suspend his campaign.<\/p>\n

And the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) announced it won\u2019t invest any money in the 2026 Senate race, which is key to their party\u2019s hopes of retaking the upper chamber, should Platner remain on the ballot.<\/p>\n

Before Politico and CNN released interviews with the former girlfriend Jenny Racicot that\u00a0revealed details of the alleged sexual assault<\/a>, Platner called the forthcoming \u201caccusation of non-consensual behavior \u2026 categorically false.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRegardless of the inaccuracy of the reporting, but mindful of the political reality it will inflict, we 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, and the goal of defeating Susan Collins,\u201d he said in a video statement as well.<\/p>\n

The Maine Democrat has been dogged since launching his campaign last August\u00a0by stories<\/a>\u00a0about having gotten a Nazi symbol tattooed on his chest, posting offensive comments on Reddit forums in the past and even sending sexual text messages to women who weren\u2019t his wife.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"WASHINGTON \u2014\u00a0Maine Democratic candidate\u00a0Graham Platner\u00a0appears to be holding the Democratic Party hostage and is refusing to drop out\u00a0after…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":289785,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[858,12827,5315,46937,9,11,10,87,3018,58],"class_list":["post-289784","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-york","tag-congress","tag-graham-platner","tag-maine","tag-midterm-elections-2026","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-headlines","tag-new-york-news","tag-politics","tag-rape","tag-us-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/289784","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=289784"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/289784\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/289785"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=289784"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=289784"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=289784"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}