Scandal-plagued Graham Platner drops Maine Senate bid

Graham Platner, the oyster farmer whose populist platform took Maine by storm, dropped his Senate bid Wednesday night as controversies over his past stacked up, leaving Democrats without a nominee to take on Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) this fall.

Platner’s decision comes after he easily won the Democratic primary despite a growing list of scandals, including revelations around a sexting scandal and reports of problematic behavior with former romantic partners.

After a woman who dated the Democrat alleged to Politico that he sexually assaulted her several years before his Senate run, Platner sharply denied the claims but announced his campaign would be “taking the time to reflect on the best path forward” in the high-stakes race.

Platner re-denied the sexual assault allegations in an 11-minute video posted on the social media platform X Wednesday night. “We believe that for the movement to continue, it can’t be me, and for that reason, we are suspending campaign operations,” he said, referring to him and his wife. “This is incredibly difficult because I know that some will think it’s an admission of guilt, and it most certainly is not.”

With the June 9 primary in the rear view, Platner’s exit raises the immediate question of whether Democrats can put forward another nominee — and how voters will respond to the reshaped field.

Considered one of the Democrats’ best opportunities to flip a Senate seat this cycle, it could become a squandered opportunity for the party that coalesced around the political newcomer over establishment favorite Gov. Janet Mills (D). She suspended her campaign at the end of April as Platner’s star rose, though she did remind voters she was still on the ballot as new revelations about Platner arose.

Platner’s campaign weathered a series of controversies ahead of the primary, including revelations that Platner had sent sexually explicit messages to multiple women early on in his marriage. He faced backlash over a now-covered chest tattoo that resembled Nazi insignia and controversial since-deleted Reddit posts.

Days ahead of the primary, The New York Times published a report detailing interviews with several of Platner’s past girlfriends. One ex-girlfriend, Lyndsey Fifield, claimed to the Times that Platner referred to his controversial tattoo as “my Totenkopf” and alleged that Platner could be physically rough with her at times, though she said he didn’t cause any injuries. The newspaper noted it could not independently verify the claims around physical roughness.

Platner has denied any allegations of physical roughness with former partners, repeatedly said he was unaware of the tattoo’s likeness to a Totenkopf and chalked up the social media posts to his struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder following his military deployments.

“Let’s be very clear: This is a lifelong G.O.P. operative who’s dedicated her career to electing Republicans,” the campaign told The Times in a statement about Fifield.

The campaign also made several former girlfriends of Platner’s available to media; they described him as “super kind,” responsible and never threatening. Still, one of those women with whom the campaign coordinated an interview for the Times acknowledged that while she “felt really safe with him,” she also saw “potentially problematic behavior” from him, according to the newspaper.

“I take responsibility for all of that, and wish I had been better,” Platner told the newspaper in a statement, acknowledging he wasn’t always a good partner, including resorting to alcohol, during a difficult period of his life.

His wife, Amy Gertner, also called the media’s coverage of Platner’s texts to other women “shameful,” vowing that she was standing by her husband. In a separate statement, Platner suggested the news was “gossip,” while acknowledging some source of difficulty that the pair had gone through.

The onslaught of new allegations and revelations did little to quell concern from Democrats, who believe that Platner was not portraying himself as the candidate he was, though he regularly leaned into a story around self-redemption after battling inner demons following multiple military tours.

Still, Platner emerged from the June primary, prompting Democratic leadership to rally around the progressive as they eye the potential pickup.

But new allegations were added to the pile even after the primary.

Politico reported in early July that a woman Platner previously dated, Jenny Racicot, claimed that he forced her to have sex with him while he was intoxicated in 2021. Platner denied the reporting.

“I wanted to directly address the troubling, serious and false allegations against me. Any accusation of non-consensual behavior is categorically false,” Platner said in a two-minute video posted online after Politico published the story.

Although he pushed back against the reports, the Senate hopeful announced he would be reflecting on next steps in light of the news.

“So, regardless of the inaccuracy of the reporting, but mindful of the political reality it will inflict, 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 I belong to, and the goal of defeating Susan Collins. Those were the goals when we launched this campaign, and they remain my goals today,” he said.

The Politico report appeared to tip the scales for many Democrats.

Democratic strategist David Axelrod, a former adviser to President Obama, said on X that Platner had “built a powerful movement among voters hungry for change, and that’s why many Mainers were willing to look past previous stories about him” but that the latest allegation “can’t be explained away or excused.”

Socialist internet personality Hasan Piker said in response to the Politico report “that is the trifecta of a reliable allegation” and “that is curtains.”

Cheyenne Hunt, the former Gen Z for Change executive director who helped organize against former Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) amid sexual assault allegations against him in the California governor’s race, was among those who called for him to drop out.

With Platner off the ballot, Democrats in the Pine Tree State have to act quickly in the must-win race.

Under Maine law, the state Democratic party can make a replacement nomination for the general election if Platner drops out on or before 5 p.m. local time July 13. They’d have until 5 p.m. on July 27 to name his successor.

Meanwhile, Republicans have seized on Platner’s controversial background as a boogeyman in their fight to protect Collins, the longest-serving Republican woman in the Senate who has held on for five terms despite the state’s overall blue lean.

A late June memo also showed Platner’s campaign was battling an onslaught of outside GOP spending, while polling showed Platner and Collins neck-and-neck four months out from the election.

Collins’s seat is one of just four that Cook Political Report considers midterm toss-ups, along with contests in Ohio, Michigan and Alaska.

Updated July 8, 2026 at 8:35 p.m. EDT.