Politics

Graham Platner Drops Out 19 Days Before Maine’s Senate Nominee Replacement Deadline

By Mike Harper · July 9, 2026

Four weeks ago, Graham Platner won the Maine Democratic Senate primary with 78% of the vote despite a controversy over a tattoo critics called a Nazi symbol and allegations of workplace misconduct at his oyster farm. Maine Democrats celebrated. National Democrats poured in money. Bernie Sanders toured the state with him. The race against Susan Collins was on.

It’s off.

Platner suspended his campaign Wednesday after a woman named Jenny Racicot told CNN’s Jake Tapper that Platner forced himself on her in 2021 when they were dating. Within 48 hours of the allegation becoming public, virtually every significant Democratic endorsement he held was rescinded — Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Ro Khanna, Ruben Gallego, and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s campaign arm, the DSCC, which said it “will not invest in the Maine Senate race if Platner remains on the ballot.”

“We believe that for the movement to continue, it can’t be me. And for that reason, we are suspending campaign operations,” Platner said in a video posted to social media Wednesday evening.

He denied the allegation.

“This is incredibly difficult because I know that some will think it’s an admission of guilt, and it most certainly is not. We’re not doing it because of the allegations. We’re doing it because of the structures that are being taken away from us by those in power.”

Racicot, 41, told CNN that Platner appeared at her home uninvited and intoxicated and forced himself on her even as she told him to stop. Platner called the allegation “categorically untrue.”

The timing of his exit was dictated by the calendar. Under Maine state law, Platner had until 5 PM Monday, July 13, to withdraw for the state Democratic Party to replace him on the ballot. The party voted Wednesday night to hold a nominating convention to select a new candidate by the July 27 deadline. The jockeying has already started.

Former state Senate President Troy Jackson filed an exploratory committee with the FEC within an hour of Platner’s announcement. Secretary of State Shenna Bellows — who lost to Collins by 37 points in 2014 — is reportedly evaluating a run. Former Maine CDC director Nirav Shah said he is “evaluating” as well.

Collins, 73, is seeking a sixth term. The Maine seat is one of a handful that will determine whether Republicans hold the Senate in November. Democrats viewed it as their best pickup opportunity — the only Republican-held seat in a state Kamala Harris carried in 2024. That assessment hasn’t changed. The candidate has.

The oyster farmer who promised to defeat Collins is gone. Maine Democrats have 19 days to find someone else.