Graham Platner drops out of Senate race, allowing Maine Democrats to replace him

His decision comes days before a key deadline, allowing Maine’s Democratic Party to select a new candidate to face Republican Sen. Susan Collins in a critical contest for Senate control.

Graham Platner announced Wednesday he’s ending his Senate campaign, capping a chaotic few days of uncertainty and Democratic infighting and leaving the party without a candidate in the vitally important Maine race this fall.

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The announcement by the populist progressive came after a woman he dated accused him of sexual assault in 2021, causing his support to hemorrhage even among top Democratic allies, who rescinded their endorsements and called on him to drop out.

In a video message on X, Platner denied the allegation as “false” but said it has “placed an immense amount of weight” on him, as he has until only Monday to decide whether to continue his candidacy. He said that if he continued, he’d lose his ability to raise money, access voter data or run a campaign.