Democrat Graham Platner has announced a surprise campaign update amid online sexual assault allegations on July 9, 2026.
The announcement comes after Democrats called for him to drop out of the race.
The election in Maine is seen as a make or break for the Democrats in an attempt to gain control of the US Senate.
Platner, who shared a video post on X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday, July 8, announced that he has dropped his Senate campaign, saying, “At this time, it cannot be me. For that reason, we are suspending campaign operations.”
He continued, “incredibly difficult,” while saying that “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.”
Platner said in an 11-minute video post that he would submit his papers to withdraw only after he was assured that the successor would be “open and democratic moving forward.”
“But I will say this: it must be open, transparent and democratic. It must reflect the will and values of people who built this movement,” Platner said.
For the uninitiated, under state law, Platner has until July 13 to officially file cancellation papers for a replacement name to appear on the ballot.
Maine is one of the must-win state races this midterm for Democrats to take the Senate majority.
For now, it appears to be an uphill task: Democrats first unseat Collins, retain every seat they currently hold, and pick up three more in the November midterms.
