Platner quits Maine Senate race; Democrats set to pick new nominee

Democratic Maine Senate nominee Graham Platner said he intends to exit the race on Wednesday after a woman accused him of sexually assaulting her in 2021, causing an insurmountable rupture with his closest allies. 

Platner’s fall is a seismic shift in the 2026 midterm elections, as Democrats try to wrest control of Congress from Republicans and weaken President Donald Trump’s grip on power. Flipping the Maine seat held by five-term Republican Sen. Susan Collins is critical to those ambitions, and Democrats in the state must now field a new candidate with less than four months until Election Day.

Platner, an oysterman and military veteran, said on Wednesday that he is “suspending campaign operations” after his support dried up and national fundraisers threatened to direct money away from his campaign.  

“We believe that for the movement to continue, it can’t be me,” Platner said. “I intend to file my paperwork to withdraw. The process needs to assure that what comes next is reflective of the Mainers who, on June 9, turned out and showed that they are desperate for a different kind of politics.”

In a direct-to-camera video, Platner said that his decision to withdraw “most certainly is not” an admission of guilt, but a reflection of the reality he now faces. He has denied claims made by Jenny Racicot, who dated Platner and told Politico he forced himself on her in 2021 while heavily intoxicated.

In reference to his campaign, he said in the video: “We did it the right way, we built a campaign, we engaged in electoral politics, we motivated people, we banded together. We did it the way we are told we are supposed to make change, and we won, and now they are not going to let us have it. Not if it’s me.”

His fall from grace is a tremendous swing-and-miss by Democrats, who once hoped the gruff, progressive Mainer could help the party reconnect with disaffected blue-collar voters who gravitated toward Trump. And his campaign’s implosion now puts Democrats’ hopes for Senate control in jeopardy by pushing a must-win state into harder-to-reach territory.

Members of the Maine Democratic Party voted Wednesday night to hold a nominating convention to select a replacement for Platner. The party said it will provide more information on the convention in the coming days. Maine law stipulates that the party can replace him on the ballot by July 27. 

Multiple candidates have already hopped into the race to replace him, though the process for nominating a new candidate remains largely unclear. 

Dan Kleban, the founder of Maine Beer Company who ran for the seat in the Democratic primary earlier this year, said on Wednesday he will try again for the nomination. 

“We’re all sick and tired of a system that’s been rigged by corporate interests, and we’ve had enough meddling from Washington establishment insiders and New York City consultants trying to dictate who represents us,” Kleban said. “I’m ready to fight for Mainers and bring a new generation of leadership to Washington.”

Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, who recently lost the primary for the state’s gubernatorial election, also said she would consider entering the contest. Bellows ran against Collins in 2014 and got blown out by more than 30 percentage points, but the ground is much more favorable for a Democrat this cycle. 

Nirav Shah, a public health official and the runner-up for governor, has also expressed interest in entering the ring. 

And Troy Jackson, a former Maine Senate leader from rural Aroostook County who was a close Platner ally until the latest allegations, has already created an exploratory bid to potentially replace him on the top of the ticket. 

Jackson publicized a poll on Wednesday that showed him with a lead over Collins, and most readily fits the mold that Platner built with his candidacy.