Maine Democrat Graham Platner on Wednesday suspended his campaign for Senate after a woman publicly accused him of sexual assault this week. His departure forces his party to scramble to find a replacement nominee for one of the nation’s tightest Senate races.
“For the movement to continue, it can’t be me. For that reason we are suspending campaign operations,” Platner said in an 11-minute video on X.
Platner’s decision to drop out of the race before a key July 13 deadline to withdraw gives his party a chance to reset and put forward a more viable candidate to run against incumbent Sen. Susan Collins in November. The Maine Democratic Party has until July 27 to pick a replacement.