By Patrick Whittle
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Former Democratic Senate nominee Graham Platner is no longer set to speak at a Labor Day rally when he makes his first major public appearance since ending his campaign against Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine.
Platner, who won the nomination in June but dropped out in July after Politico reported that a former girlfriend said he sexually assaulted her, had been scheduled to speak Monday at the rally in Ellsworth, near his hometown of Sullivan. He has denied the allegations.
Platner was expected to speak about labor history and the importance of unions in the U.S. Event organizers were urged not to let him speak by the former girlfriend and another woman who has accused him of domestic abuse.
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Organizers said Wednesday that the planned speech was drawing negative media attention, and he will instead lead a veterans’ march after the rally.
“Graham is not speaking,” said Carol Leonard of Hancock County Activists, a progressive group organizing the rally. “The media frenzy got just too insane, and we became concerned about safety.”
Platner is an oyster farmer and combat veteran who filled theaters around Maine during a barnstorming campaign that resulted in a decisive win over Gov. Janet Mills, who suspended her campaign before the primary.
He has no experience in elected office but fashioned a campaign focused on working-class issues such as the high costs of housing and healthcare.
Platner’s campaign was frequently interrupted by scandals, such as the emergence in late May of media reports that he previously exchanged sexually explicit text messages with several women while he was married.
High-profile backers including independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders stood by him in the wake of those allegations, but his support crumbled after the sexual assault allegations surfaced.
Platner also had a tattoo recognized as a Nazi symbol, though he said he did not realize its association with Nazism until he was several weeks into the campaign. He later had the tattoo covered up with a different design.
Platner also apologized for old online comments that included insulting language about women, police and rural residents.
After he dropped out of the race, Democrats held a nominating convention in July in which they chose former Maine Senate President Troy Jackson to run against Collins.
Jackson, who got the Senate nomination after losing a gubernatorial primary, campaigned with Platner in the spring but has distanced himself from him following the sexual assault allegations.
The Ellsworth event is scheduled for midday and will include speakers, live music and the veterans’ march.
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