Graham Platner says he'll withdraw from Senate race in Maine

By — Kimberlee Kruesi, Associated Press Kimberlee Kruesi, Associated Press By — Meg Kinnard, Associated Press Meg Kinnard, Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/graham-platner-says-hell-withdraw-from-senate-race-in-maine Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Graham Platner says he'll withdraw from Senate race in Maine Politics Jul 8, 2026 8:42 PM EDT SCARBOROUGH, Maine (AP) — Graham Platner said Wednesday that he plans to withdraw from the U.S. Senate race in Maine after facing an allegation of sexual assault, shuttering an insurgent campaign that had withstood months of controversy only to implode and imperil Democrats' attempt to regain power in Washington. Platner's exit will most likely force a reckoning within the party, which has been divided between its moderate and progressive factions, when it is struggling to unify during this year's midterm elections. Maine is considered a key state for control of the narrowly divided Senate, and Democrats were desperate for a candidate capable of defeating Republican Sen. Susan Collins while President Donald Trump is broadly unpopular. READ MORE: Succession fight is underway as calls mount for Graham Platner to drop out of Senate race Platner says the process to replace him needs to be "open, transparent and democratic" and to reflect the will and values of people who supported him. He also lashed out at Democratic leaders in Washington, D.C. Educate your inbox Subscribe to Here’s the Deal, our politics newsletter for analysis you won’t find anywhere else. "People in D.C. need to stay in D.C.," Platner said. "Decisions should not be made by people in places of political power." Platner stressed that his decision was not an admission of guilt. Although Platner had never before held elected office, progressive leaders promoted him over Gov. Janet Mills, who was favored by the Democratic establishment. Mills dropped out of the race in late April as Platner, a military veteran and oyster farmer, consolidated support from primary voters who were eager for a more combative candidate and were willing to overlook his checkered past, which included a tattoo recognized as a Nazi symbol and online postings dismissive of sexual assault. Shortly before Platner clinched the Democratic nomination in the June 9 primary, there were reports that he had exchanged sexually explicit messages with other women while married and that he had become physical with a previous girlfriend during an argument. But Platner's support didn't crater until Monday, when Politico reported that a woman said he drunkenly forced her to have sex after she told him to stop. Jenny Racicot, who lives in Maine, told Politico she had been in an on-and-off relationship with Platner but cut off contact with him after that night in 2021 and told him the encounter wasn't consensual. In a CNN interview, she said she had been raped "by definition." After the