Graham Platner has been forced out of the Maine Senate race after he won over 70% of the vote in the state’s Democratic primary.
Platner announced his exit with a video statement on X the day after another rape allegation came out against him.
My name might be on the ballot right now, but that ballot line belongs to the people of Maine. pic.twitter.com/RKVyLU76tm
— Graham Platner for Senate (@grahamformaine) July 9, 2026
The Democrats in Maine overwhelmingly voted for Platner – knowing he had a Nazi tattoo – and knowing that he sexually assaulted women he dated.
Despite Platner winning the Democrat primary fair and square, the media decided they wanted to replace him after an ex-girlfriend came forward and accused Platner of rape.
“I remember him grabbing my pelvis and being really forceful of me,” 41-year-old Jenny Racicot told Politico. “I remember the specific moment where I thought to myself, like, ‘This is no longer my choice.’”
Another woman Platner dated told the Washington Post that Platner would remove contraception without her consent.
“He would pull condoms off,” Lyndsey Fifield told The Washington Post. “He would do it in a sneaky way. He wouldn’t tell me.”
Platner denied the allegations.
“These allegations are troubling, serious, and false. Any accusation of non-consensual behavior is categorically untrue,” Platner said in a video posted to X.
— Graham Platner for Senate (@grahamformaine) July 6, 2026
The Maine Democrats lashed out at Platner on Wednesday.
“While the Platner campaign remains focused on distracting from the job of defeating Susan Collins in November with false accusations against us, the Maine Democratic Party remains hyper focused on developing a representative, transparent and inclusive process to select a new nominee when he chooses to withdraw from the race,” Devon Murphy Anderson, Executive Director of the Maine Democrat Party said.
“While we may be frustrated with Graham Platner’s continued efforts to manipulate this process, we are so thankful for his supporters and all of their efforts to defeat Susan Collins – they are a vital part of our Party and deserve to participate in an open process to select Platner’s replacement.” – Devon Murphy-Anderson said.
“While the Platner campaign remains focused on distracting from the job of defeating Susan Collins in November with false accusations against us, the Maine Democratic Party remains hyper focused on developing a representative, transparent and inclusive process to select a new…
— Maine Democrats (@MaineDems) July 8, 2026
Maine Beer Company co-founder Dan Kleban said he is in the race to replace Platner.
DAN KLEBAN says he’s in the race to replace GRAHAM PLATNER.
“Over the next two weeks, we need an open, transparent process to select our nominee. I’m ready to fight for Mainers and bring a new generation of leadership to Washington. I believe I can unite our party and finally…
— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) July 8, 2026
