Graham Platner's exit throws a must-win race for Democrats into tumult

By Anthony Zurcher North America correspondent Published 7 minutes ago Graham Platner's meteoric rise from relative obscurity to the Democratic nominee in this year's marquee US Senate contest has now ended in catastrophic collapse. The oysterman and former Marine who bested a popular governor and built a grass-roots network of more than 15,000 supporters in Maine announced he was suspending his campaign on Wednesday night . The news came via recorded video posted on social media , just a little more than 48 hours after Politico published a story containing allegations from an ex-girlfriend that an intoxicated Platner had entered her home uninvited in 2021 and allegedly sexually assaulted her. He has denied the allegation. "We went toe to toe with one of the most entrenched political systems in the history of the world, and we won," Platner said in his 11-minute video announcing the end of his campaign. "And now they are not going to let us have it, not if it's me." Platner, who was had been championed by liberal stalwarts like Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, was his party's chosen challenger to unseat five-term Senator Susan Collins – the only Republican in Congress representing a state that Democrats won in the 2024 presidential election. For Democrats, this race has become crucial. To take control of the Senate in November's midterm elections, they have to flip four Republican-held seats while defending all of theirs. Maine is widely considered a must-win target. Now, Platner's withdrawal is threatening to deal a serious blow to their hopes. It is also re-exposing rifts between the party's left wing and moderates that could not only endanger their success this year but in the 2028 presidential race as well. Image source, Getty Images The sexual assault allegation against Platner was just the latest, most serious, controversy to dog the novice candidate since he entered the race last August. Earlier reports of offensive social media posts, a chest tattoo with Nazi connotations, sexually explicit text messages sent to women after he was married in 2023, and allegations from former girlfriends of threatening and "toxic" behaviour did not deter 72% of Maine's Democrats from casting their ballots for him in June's primary. Platner adamantly denied this latest allegation, but within hours of the interview's publication, his political support evaporated. State and national Democrats, including his closest allies on the progressive left - Warren and Sanders included - withdrew their backing. The national party announced it would no longer help finance his campaign. By midweek, it became clear it was only a matter of when, not if, Platner would step aside. In announcing the end of his campaign, Platner said he was not stepping down because of the allegation. "We're doing it because of the structures that are being taken away from us by those in power," he added, saying he would not formally file paperwork to