![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/platner.avif\")
<\/a><\/p>\nFormer U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner speaks at his Primary Election event on June 9, 2026 in Blue Hill, Maine. (CJ Gunther\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Platner\u2019s withdrawal came two days after Politico reported that a former girlfriend had accused him of entering her home uninvited about five years ago and forcing her to have sex with him.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll we were asking for was healthcare, was to end the genocide, to use our taxpayer dollars at home to uplift our communities instead of waging war overseas,\u201d Platner said in a Facebook address announcing his exit. He denied the allegations against him in the address, adding that a \u201ccorporate media system and the political establishment got to act as judge, jury and executioner.\u201d<\/p>\n
The allegations were the latest in a series of controversies that have hit Platner\u2019s campaign, including his since-covered-up Nazi tattoo, unearthed Reddit posts and other reports about his behavior toward women.<\/p>\n
Platner, who won his Democratic primary in June on an anti-Israel progressive platform, denied the fresh allegations, telling Politico that \u201cany accusation of non-consensual behavior is categorically untrue.\u201d<\/p>\n
But the report prompted a rapid collapse in support for Platner among Democratic leaders, progressive allies and organizations that had backed his bid to beat GOP Sen. Susan Collins. It also sparked a scramble among Maine Democrats to find a different nominee ahead of the July 27 deadline for a replacement to appear on the ballot.<\/p>\n
On Wednesday, the Maine Democratic Party announced that they had voted to hold a nominating convention to fill Platner\u2019s vacancy.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is an unprecedented amount of energy and enthusiasm among Maine Democrats, driven in part by many of the dedicated volunteers and supporters who were inspired by Graham Platner\u2019s campaign,\u201d the party said in a statement. \u201cWe look forward to coming together and harnessing that energy around our new nominee as we work to defeat Susan Collins in November.\u201d<\/p>\n
The state Democratic Party leadership called on Platner to withdraw as the Democratic nominee on Monday, adding that the party needed to \u201crefocus this campaign\u201d on the fight against GOP Sen. Susan Collins. The seat is key to Democratic hopes of taking back the Senate.<\/p>\n
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, one of Platner\u2019s most high-profile supporters, as well as New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani also called for Platner to step aside on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who initially backed Platner\u2019s opponent before she dropped out, had said in a joint statement with New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand that the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee \u201cwill not invest in the Maine Senate race if Platner remains on the ballot.\u201d<\/p>\n