Graham Platner ends Maine Senate campaign after sexual assault allegation

Graham Platner, Democratic US Senate candidate for Maine, during a primary election night event in Blue Hill on 9 June 2026. Photograph: Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images View image in fullscreen Graham Platner, Democratic US Senate candidate for Maine, during a primary election night event in Blue Hill on 9 June 2026. Photograph: Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images Graham Platner ends Maine Senate campaign after sexual assault allegation Democratic marines veteran and oyster farmer has been dogged by controversy since entering contest last year Woman accuses Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner of sexual assault Graham Platner, the Democratic nominee for US Senate in Maine, is suspending his campaign following a sexual assault allegation. Platner announced his decision in an 11-minute video posted to social media on Wednesday evening. “For the movement to continue, it can’t be me,” he said. “For that reason, we are suspending campaign operations.” In the video, Platner stood by his assertion that the accusation is “not remotely true” and was driven by “large forces ... working against [him] personally”. “This is all false,” Platner said of the allegations. “The things that have been claimed did not happen. It’s not real.” “I learned about this through press inquiries with no time to truly respond, no time for investigations before a corporate media system and the political establishment got to act as judge, jury and executioner,” he said. “Accusations are supposed to be the beginning of things, not the end.” The oyster farmer and marine veteran – whose populist platform packed town halls, raised millions early in the race and built enough momentum to force his primary challenger, Governor Janet Mills, to suspend her bid – has been dogged by controversy since entering the Senate contest last year. Woman accuses Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner of sexual assault Read more Platner faced fresh scrutiny on Monday after a woman who dated him made allegations in Politico that he forced her to have sex nearly five years ago despite repeated objections. Jenny Racicot, 41, said she had an on‑and‑off relationship with Platner for more than two years. She alleges that in late 2021, an intoxicated Platner entered her home uninvited and forced himself on her. She said she cut off contact after the encounter. Platner rejected the allegations in a video posted on social media on Monday. “Any accusation of non-consensual behavior is categorically false,” he said in a direct‑to‑camera message. While calling the reporting inaccurate, he said his campaign was “mindful of the political reality” the accusation “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,” he added after the report. But the allegations quickly prompted Democrats, including Senate leader Chuck Schumer, to call on Platner to drop out of the race. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign