Graham Platner Is Out of the Maine Senate Race After 2 Former Girlfriends Said One Encounter Was Nonconsensual and Another Involved Him Removing a Condom Without Consent
Graham Platner, the Maine Democrat and combat veteran challenging Republican Sen. Susan Collins, suspended his campaign on the night of Wednesday, July 8, 2026.
The move came days after 2 former girlfriends came forward on the record, one alleging a nonconsensual encounter and the other alleging he removed a condom without consent.
Platner was the Democratic nominee for one of the most closely watched Senate races in the country, running as a combat veteran and oyster farmer against Susan Collins, the Republican incumbent Maine has sent to Washington since 1997.
The allegations surfaced earlier this week from 2 former girlfriends who spoke publicly and on the record. One said a nonconsensual encounter took place in 2021; no police report was filed at the time. The other described an incident years earlier. Platner categorically denies both, calling them “troubling, serious, and false,” and his campaign described them as a coordinated smear. He has not been charged with or convicted of any crime.
The support collapsed quickly. Bernie Sanders, who had previously backed the campaign, joined a majority of Senate Democrats and the Maine Democratic Party in urging Platner to withdraw before he stepped aside.
His exit leaves Democrats on a deadline. They can name a replacement only if Platner formally withdraws by 5 p.m. on July 13. If he does, the party would have until July 27 to nominate someone else for the November ballot against Collins.
Want more Thought Catalog? Follow us on Facebook or head to our website.
