Democrat Graham Platner drops out of Maine Senate race amid sexual assault allegations

Democrat Graham Plattner has dropped his campaign for the US Senate in Maine after a series of sexual assault allegations by a woman.

In the days since the attack was filed, Democrats have called for him to drop out of a race seen as crucial to their chances of taking control of the U.S. Senate.

In a video posted on social media, Plattner said the decision was not an admission of guilt, but a threat that Democrats would cut off funding and support for his campaign. He called the allegations of violence “false”.

Plattner said the process to replace him in a race against five-term Republican Sen. Susan Collins should be “transparent and democratic.”

“We’re stopping campaigning,” he said in an 11-minute video posted on X, describing the decision as “surprising” and that he and his wife have been struggling for days.

According to state law, Plattner had to withdraw by July 13 for a replacement name to be placed on the ballot.

Plattner, an oyster farmer and military veteran, has rocketed to the top of the Democratic field with a message of outspoken populism.

He promoted progressive policies like universal health care and affordable housing, and won over many disaffected Democratic voters with his criticism of the party establishment.

The endorsements of two liberal leaders, Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, boosted his candidacy. His momentum was so strong that Maine Governor Janet Mills, who was running for the nomination, dropped her campaign.

On Monday night, Warren and other top Democrats called for his withdrawal, and three of his strongest supporters in Congress — Representative Ro Cana and Senators Ruben Gallego and Martin Heinrich — withdrew their support.

Both the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and the Maine Democratic Party, which provide millions of dollars in support to the party’s candidates, have suspended their support.

The race is one of the key issues for Democrats in the long-term bid for congressional elections in November, commonly known as the midterms. In the year No Republican has carried Maine in a presidential election since 1988, which they believed would give the Democratic candidate Collins a chance to win.

While Plattner’s apolitical background elevated him in an unfavorable climate for establishing candidates, several scandals rocked his campaign.

Last October, US media reported that he had a tattoo resembling a Nazi symbol, which he later said he hid. In the year He said he got the tattoo in Croatia in 2007 while drinking with other Marines.

Meanwhile, old Reddit posts show Plattner saying that victims of sexual assault should “take some responsibility for themselves” and not get too drunk. Plattner apologized to constituents after the posts were discovered.

In June, The New York Times reported that Plattner had sexted with other women while married, and his wife warned the campaign about the scandal. He admitted that the report was true.

The Times followed up with another story featuring three ex-girlfriends accusing them of erratic and outrageous behavior.

Jenny Racicot, 41, then told Politico and later CNN. She told The Times she was one of the women who spoke to her but said she did not want to make specific claims about them publicly because she did not want to be known as a rape victim.

In a video released Monday, Plattner acknowledged the “political reality” of the latest allegations and said the campaign is “taking time to reflect on the best path forward.”

Plattner was the second major Democratic candidate to drop out of the race this year amid sexual assault allegations. In April, Congressman Eric Swalwell dropped out of the California governor’s race and resigned from the House of Representatives after several women accused him of sexual misconduct. Swalwell has denied the allegations.

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