By Nolan D. McCaskill, Richard Cowan and Daniel Trotta
WASHINGTON, July 8 (Reuters) – Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner of Maine on Wednesday promised to formally withdraw from the race, after a string of controversies including an accusation of sexual assault plunged one of the most competitive races in the 2026 midterm elections into turmoil.
The suspension by the former U.S. Marine and oysterman, announced in a video posted on social media, is likely to complicate Democrats’ efforts to win control of the Senate in the November 3 elections. Republicans currently hold a 53-47 majority.
In the recorded video, Platner repeated his denial of the sexual assault accusation and said the effort to remove him from the ballot was fueled by his effectiveness in taking on the political establishment.
“For the movement to continue, it can’t be me, and for that reason we are suspending campaign operations,” Platner said. “This is incredibly difficult, because I know that some will think it’s an admission of guilt, and it most certainly is not.”
“I want to make clear, though, I intend to file my paperwork to withdraw,” he said.
Platner has until July 13 to formally withdraw from the race, at which point the state party would have until July 27 to select another nominee to challenge Senator Susan Collins, a moderate Republican who has held the seat since 1997.
Shortly before Platner posted his video, the Maine Democratic Party issued a statement confirming it would hold a nominating convention should he drop out.
More than 100 state committee members of the Maine Democratic Party met on Wednesday and approved the proposal for a convention, party leaders said in a statement. Media reports said some 600 party members would participate.
“Transparency is of the utmost importance,” they said.
When Platner’s campaign was ascendant, the race in Maine had been widely considered one of the Democrats’ best opportunities to pick up a seat in Senate, highlighting the stakes in selecting his replacement.
‘MCDREAMY’ SAYS HE WON’T RUN
Several potential replacement candidates are already drawing attention, although actor Patrick Dempsey said he would not seek the nomination. Dempsey, best known as Dr. Derek “McDreamy” Shepherd on the television show “Grey’s Anatomy,” said in an op-ed published in the Portland Press Herald that he had considered seeking the job, but opted against it because “I believe I can contribute more effectively through the life I’ve already built.”
Many Democrats had already questioned Platner’s fitness for office before Politico reported on Monday that a woman accused him of forcing her to have sex with him nearly five years ago. CNN followed with a report that the woman accused him of entering her home without permission and raping her while he was intoxicated. Platner flatly denied the allegations.
On Tuesday, the Washington Post reported that a former girlfriend of Platner’s said he repeatedly removed condoms during sex without her consent, an allegation that Platner’s campaign called “categorically false and politically motivated.”
Democratic leaders and Senator Bernie Sanders had called on Platner to withdraw from the race. Prominent members of Congress rescinded their endorsements of him and leaders of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee said they would withhold funding from the race if Platner remained on the ballot.
The departure may signal the end of Platner’s rapid political rise, as he tapped into a current of progressive politics by promoting a universal national healthcare system and working-class themes while directing criticism at billionaires and concentrated wealth.
Platner has faced a series of other controversies, including offensive Reddit posts he apologized for and a now-covered tattoo that resembled a Nazi symbol. The Wall Street Journal reported that Platner’s wife, Amy Gertner, had told the campaign her husband sent sexually explicit texts to several women early in their marriage. In a video message, Gertner said the two had a “great marriage.”
Platner has acknowledged poor behavior in the past and asked for forgiveness, saying he struggled with alcohol abuse and mental health issues after military deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan.
BATTLE OVER REPLACMENT
In the lead-up to Platner’s announcement on Wednesday, his campaign and Democratic Party leaders feuded publicly over the process to replace him.
“Both the state and national parties cut our team, our volunteers and our vast networks of supporters out of the conversation completely,” Ben Chin, Platner’s campaign manager, said in a message to supporters.
Maine Democratic Party Executive Director Devon Murphy-Anderson said the Platner campaign’s “false accusations” were a distraction from defeating Collins.
“While we may be frustrated with Graham Platner’s continued efforts to manipulate this process, we are so thankful for his supporters and all of their efforts to defeat Susan Collins,” she said, calling them “a vital part of our party” who “deserve to participate in an open process to select Platner’s replacement.”
(Reporting by Nolan D. McCaskill and Richard Cowan in Washington and Daniel Trotta in Carlsbad, California; Editing by Andy Sullivan, Will Duham and Edmund Klamann)
Comments