Graham Platner Suspends Maine Senate Campaign Amid Sexual Assault Allegations

Democrat Graham Platner suspended his campaign for the U.S. Senate seat in Maine on the night of July 9, 2026, announcing the decision via an 11-minute video posted to social media. The suspension came approximately 48 hours after Politico published a story containing a sexual assault allegation against him.

In his video statement, Platner maintained that his decision to suspend the campaign was not an admission of guilt and that he called the assault allegation false. He stated he would not formally file withdrawal paperwork until assured that his replacement would be selected in a transparent and democratic way.

The Maine Senate race is considered pivotal to Democrats' chances of gaining control of the U.S. Senate, requiring the party to flip Susan Collins' seat, hold all existing Democratic seats, and gain additional seats in the November midterm elections. Collins is a five-term Republican incumbent senator representing Maine and is the only Republican in Congress representing a state that Democrats won in the 2024 presidential election.

Platner had won the Democratic primary with 72% of the vote, defeating Maine Governor Janet Mills, who had been handpicked by Democratic leaders and suspended her campaign in April due to Platner's popularity. He was endorsed by Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, and had built a grass-roots network of more than 15,000 supporters in Maine after entering the race in August of the prior year.

Within hours of the Politico story's publication, national and state Democrats — including Senators Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Cory Booker, Elissa Slotkin, and Representatives Ro Khanna, Ruben Gallego, and Martin Heinrich — withdrew their support or endorsements and called on Platner to drop out. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee announced it would not invest in the Maine Senate race if Platner remained on the ballot, and both the DSCC and Maine Democratic Party ended their backing of Platner.

Platner's candidacy had faced a series of prior controversies, including: a chest tattoo resembling a Nazi Totenkopf symbol; offensive Reddit posts in which he suggested sexual assault victims should take more responsibility for themselves; and a New York Times report that he exchanged sexually explicit messages with women while married. Platner explained the tattoo as something he got in Croatia with fellow Marines in 2007 while drinking, said he subsequently covered it up, and denied being a Nazi.

A New York Times story published just before the Maine primary detailed accounts of three former girlfriends accusing Platner of erratic and angry behaviour; former girlfriends also recounted volatile relationships including physical intimidation. Platner acknowledged that reports about sexually explicit texts with women outside his marriage were true, and stated he made mistakes at the beginning of his marriage but that he and his wife worked through them.

Center-left outlets reported that Racicot stated she was reluctant to go public because she did not want to be known as a rape victim, and said she felt compelled to speak after the controversial reaction to the New York Times story about Platner. This account of her motivations for coming forward appeared only in BBC News reporting.

The Maine Democratic Party announced it would select a new nominee at a convention to be held within two weeks, with hundreds of delegates expected to participate in the choice. Several Democrats expressed interest in or announced candidacy for the replacement nomination, including Dan Kleban (who announced 'I'm in'), former state senator Troy Jackson, economist and state epidemiologist Nirav Shah, and Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows.

Outlets reported different dates for the state-mandated deadline governing Platner's withdrawal. Center-left sources cited July 13 as the deadline for ballot removal, while a center-right outlet cited July 27 as the legal deadline to name a replacement. This discrepancy reflects differing interpretations or reporting of Maine's election law requirements.

Center-left outlets reported that actor Patrick Dempsey, known for Grey's Anatomy, ruled out a Senate run in a newspaper opinion piece published Wednesday. This detail of potential replacement candidates appeared only in BBC News coverage.

A center-left outlet drew a parallel to Congressman Eric Swalwell, who suspended his California gubernatorial campaign and resigned from the House of Representatives in April 2026 after multiple women accused him of sexual misconduct; Swalwell denied the allegations. This comparison to a similar recent case appeared only in BBC News reporting.

Jenny Racicot, 41, alleged that Platner, after an on-and-off relationship lasting more than two years, entered her home in Maine uninvited in 2021 and sexually assaulted her while appearing very intoxicated. Platner denied the allegation, calling it categorically false and 'the worst thing a person could do.' Outlets across the political spectrum reported both Racicot's allegation and Platner's categorical denial.

A center-left outlet reported that a second woman, Lyndsey Fifield, who said she dated Platner from 2013 to 2015, alleged in a Washington Post interview that he repeatedly removed condoms without her consent during sex ('stealthing'), which is illegal in Maine. Platner's campaign called the allegation 'categorically false and politically motivated' and noted Fifield has worked in Republican politics. This second allegation was reported only by BBC News.

Maine Democratic Party Executive Director Devon Murphy-Anderson accused the Platner campaign of trying to 'manipulate' or put its 'thumb on the scale' of the replacement selection process. Platner's side denied this, saying they sought an open process rather than the coronation of an 'establishment-backed' candidate. Center-left outlets reported both sides of this dispute over control of the nomination process.