Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner, an oyster farmer, said Monday that he was “taking the time to reflect on the best path forward” as he faced a sexual assault allegation from a woman he previously dated.
Platner, who has withstood a long list of previous controversies, has seen his support from key Democrats collapse amid mounting pressure to withdraw before a July 13 deadline. His challenge to Sen. Susan Collins (R) is critical to control of the U.S. Senate, where Republicans hold a 53-47 advantage.
Platner can drop out any time before the November election. But Democrats, under state law, would be able to put a replacement candidate on the ballot only if he does so within a week.
Who would Democrats pick?
The jockeying to replace Platner began soon after the embattled candidate said he was reflecting on the race, with much of the focus on the Democrats who ran and lost the state’s gubernatorial primary to former Maine House speaker Hannah Pingree last month.
Rep. Ro Khanna (D-California), shortly after pulling his endorsement for Platner on Monday, touted former state Senate president Troy Jackson, while others weighed in on social media with less specific demands that party officials choose another liberal candidate.
Jackson was a vocal Platner supporter, leading some in Maine to worry that his association with the tarnished candidate could damage his chances of defeating Collins in November, should he be the nominee.
Other potential replacements include Nirav Shah, a former Maine health official who finished second in the governor’s race, and Shenna Bellows, Maine’s secretary of state. Both ran for governor and have urged Platner to leave the race.
Dan Kleban, the Maine Beer Co. co-founder who ran for Senate last year but withdrew his candidacy, also is considered a likely candidate. As is Jordan Wood, who lost his congressional bid to represent Maine’s northernmost district.
And then there is Janet Mills, Maine’s Democratic governor, who challenged Platner for the nomination but could not overcome his standing with voters and ended her campaign in April. A spokesperson for Mills did not respond to a request for comment on her interest in the position.
Who wants Platner out of the race?
Democrats from across the spectrum have asked him to exit the race, including those who have endorsed him from both inside and outside the state. Senate Democratic leaders, in a joint statement, said Monday that they would not support Platner’s campaign financially if he remains on the ballot.
Platner denies the sexual assault allegation but said he was “mindful of the political reality” that the reporting will “inflict” on his campaign.
“Regardless of the inaccuracy of the reporting … we are taking the time to reflect on the best path forward for the state that I love, the people that I love, the movement that I belong to and the goal of defeating Susan Collins,” Platner said in a video posted on X.
Why is he so controversial?
Jenny Racicot, a woman who previously dated Platner, told The Washington Post that he sexually assaulted her in her Maine home in 2021. Racicot said Platner came to her home drunk, climbed on top of her on her couch and then had nonconsensual sex with her in her bedroom. “I remember saying, ‘Hey, I’m not into this,’ and, like, ‘Don’t do that. Don’t touch me,’” she told The Post. “Like saying every way that I could think to say ‘No.’” The allegation was first reported Monday by Politico.
He has faced an escalating series of scandals since launching his challenge to Collins last summer, including old social media posts dismissive of sexual assault, a tattoo resembling a Nazi symbol that he has since covered up, sexually explicit text messages he sent to other women after he married in 2023, and allegations of physical violence by ex-girlfriends.
What happens if he withdraws?
According to state law, if Platner were to withdraw before Monday, July 13, the state deadline to finalize the November ballot, Maine’s secretary of state can declare a vacancy and allow Democrats to choose a replacement. The party would have until 5 p.m. July 27 to select that candidate.