Maine Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner during a primary election night event at the Blue Hill YMCA on Tuesday, June 9, 2026 in Blue Hill, Maine, USA.
Graham Sloan | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Democratic Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner announced his intention to withdraw from the race on Wednesday after a woman accused him of sexual assault in 2021, causing an insurmountable rift with his closest allies.
Mr. Plattner’s ouster marks a major shift in the 2026 midterm elections, as Democrats seek to wrest control of Congress from Republicans and weaken President Donald Trump’s grip on power. Reversing the Maine seat held by five-term Republican Sen. Susan Collins is critical to those ambitions, and the state’s Democratic Party must field a new candidate with less than four months until Election Day.
Mr. Plattner, an oysterman and military veteran, said Wednesday he was “pausing his campaign” after support dried up and fundraising organizations across the country threatened to drain money from his campaign.
“We believe that no one but me can continue this movement,” Plattner said. “I intend to file my withdrawal papers. This process needs to ensure that what happens next reflects the main faction that ran on June 9th and has shown that it aspires to a different kind of politics.”
Platner said in a direct-to-camera video that his decision to recuse was “definitely” not an admission of guilt, but rather a reflection of the reality he now faces. He denied claims by Jenny Racicot, who told Politico that he dated Platner and forced himself on her while he was heavily intoxicated in 2021.
“We acted in the right way, we campaigned, we engaged in electoral politics, we inspired people, we united,” he said. “We did what we were told to make a change, we won, and now they won’t let us do it. Unless it’s me.”
His ouster is a huge failure for the Democratic Party. Democrats had once hoped that Mr. Meiner, a brash and progressive man, could help reconnect the party with disaffected blue-collar voters drawn to Mr. Trump. And the collapse of his campaign has pushed must-win states into harder-to-reach territory and jeopardized Democrats’ hopes of controlling the Senate.
Maine Democratic lawmakers voted Wednesday night to hold a nominating convention to choose Plattner’s successor. The party said it would provide further information about the convention in the coming days. Maine law provides that the party has until July 27 to replace him on the ballot.
Several candidates have already announced their names in the race to replace him, but the process for nominating a new candidate remains largely opaque.
Dan Kleban, the founder of Maine Beer Co., who ran in the Democratic primary earlier this year, said Wednesday that he will run for the nomination again.
“We’re all tired of a system rigged by corporate interests, and we’re all tired of interference from establishment insiders in Washington and consultants in New York City trying to decide who represents us,” Kleban said. “I am ready to fight for Maines and bring a new generation of leadership to Washington.”
Maine Secretary of State Shena Bellows, who recently lost the gubernatorial primary, also said she would consider entering the race. Bellows ran against Collins in 2014 and lost by more than 30 points, but the field is much more favorable for Democrats in this race.
Public health official and gubernatorial runner-up Nirav Shah has also expressed interest in getting in the ring.
And Troy Jackson, a former Maine Senate majority leader from rural Aroostook County who was a close ally of Mr. Platner until the latest allegations, is already scouting potential candidates to replace Mr. Platner.
Mr. Jackson released a poll on Wednesday showing him leading Mr. Collins and best fitting the mold that Mr. Platner established with his candidacy.
