Platner Suspends Maine Senate Bid After Assault Allegation

Graham Platner, Democratic US Senate candidate for Maine, during a primary election night event at the Blue Hill YMCA in Blue Hill, Maine, US, on Tuesday, June 9, 2026. Progressive Democrat Graham Platner won the party's Senate primary in Maine after a bruising campaign which became as much about his accusations of past misbehavior as it was voters' top concerns. Photographer: Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg Photo by Graeme Sloan /Bloomberg

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(Bloomberg) — Graham Platner suspended his US Senate campaign in Maine following a sexual assault allegation that caused his support from fellow Democrats to collapse, throwing a crucial race for the party into turmoil. 

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“We did it the right way, we built a campaign, we engaged in electoral politics, we motivated people, we banded together,” Platner, a 41-year-old oyster farmer and military veteran, said in a video posted to social media. “We did it the way that we are told we are supposed to make change and now they are not going to let us have it. Not if it’s me. And so we’re suspending campaign operations.”

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The developments came days after a report from Politico cited an on-the-record interview with a woman who claims Platner forced her to have sex with him when he was intoxicated nearly five years ago, despite her repeated objections. Platner denied the allegations but quickly posted a video in response to that story in which he said that he would evaluate the “best path forward” for his campaign. 

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In the past several days, an ideological battle between the progressive and centrist wings of the Democratic party entered a new front over who should replace Platner and give the party the best chance to win the seat in the November midterm elections.

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Whoever the party settles on will confront Senator Susan Collins, the longtime Republican incumbent, in a race Democrats consider essential to their chances of taking control of the Senate. 

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The Maine Democratic Party said in a statement earlier Wednesday evening that it had “held a meeting with over 100 state committee members who voted to hold a nominating convention to choose a new nominee if there is a vacancy to fill.”

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The process to replace Platner must play out before a July 27 deadline. The head of the state party has accused Platner’s campaign of trying to influence that process. 

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Platner had won over Maine voters with a populist message centered on lowering healthcare costs, taxing the rich and bashing the political establishment. But the sexual assault allegations are the latest in a series of scandals, including a since covered-up tattoo with Nazi symbolism, misogynistic and offensive comments posted to Reddit years ago and claims of volatile past relationships with women.

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Platner, in an 11-minute video in which he frequently paused and appeared to hold back tears, continued to deny the allegations and questioned the timing, which comes in a brief window in which he can be replaced on the ballot. 

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“Accusations are supposed to be the beginning of things, not the end,” he said. “I think it’s really important to understand why this is happening in the timeline, why this is happening right now.” 

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This week, he added, was the “last week to try to get me off of the ballot.” Under Maine state law, a candidate must withdraw by July 13 for the party to be able to name a replacement. 

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He struck a defiant tone and sought to mobilize progressives, saying “what comes next needs to come from the people of Maine” who backed him in last month’s primary.