Graham Platner, the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in Maine, has officially pulled the plug on what might be the shortest and most chaotic Senate campaign in recent memory. As Trending Politics reported, Platner announced on Wednesday that he was suspending campaign operations and intended to withdraw from the ballot, capping off a weeks-long freefall that would make a skydiver without a parachute wince.
Platner entered the race last August as a progressive challenger running to the left of Governor Janet Mills. When Mills bowed out, he cruised to a primary win on June 9 with over 74 percent of the vote. For about three weeks, things were looking pretty good for the guy. Then they were not.
A July 6 report by Politico detailed an allegation of sexual assault from a former girlfriend, Jenny Racicot, who stated that Platner entered her home uninvited while intoxicated in late 2021 and forced her to have sex despite her objections. Platner has denied the allegation, calling it "categorically untrue" and "all false."
But that was not the only problem in Platner's rapidly expanding file of campaign headaches. Reports also surfaced about past online posts and a tattoo resembling a Nazi totenkopf symbol, which he later covered while denying he knew what it meant. Additional allegations from former romantic partners regarding patterns of behavior also emerged. He denied those too. At a certain point, a campaign stops being a campaign and starts being a full time denial operation.
The dominoes fell fast. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, DSCC Chair Kirsten Gillibrand, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, and Rep. Ro Khanna all publicly called for him to step aside. The Maine Democratic Party joined in and made clear they did not want Platner having any say in picking his replacement. When your own team is building you a door and pointing at it, the message is fairly unambiguous.
In an 11 minute video statement, Platner tried to frame his exit on his own terms. "This is incredibly difficult, because I know that some will think it's an admission of guilt, and it most certainly is not. 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," he said. He also stated that his ballot line "belongs to the people of Maine" and that the replacement process should remain "open and democratic."
Under Maine law, the state Democratic Party has until July 27 to select a replacement nominee and plans to hold a nominating convention. Platner faced a July 13 deadline to withdraw for timely ballot placement.
Names being floated as potential replacements include former public health official Nirav Shah, Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, former Maine Senate President Troy Jackson, state Rep. Valli Geiger, and brewery owner Dan Kleban. Whether former Governor Janet Mills might jump back in remains unclear. One thing is clear though: whoever takes the nomination will at minimum want to avoid tattoo controversies and 11 minute apology videos, which is a lower bar than you would think for a Senate race but apparently needs stating.
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