Graham Platner submitted his formal withdrawal from Maine's U.S. Senate race on Friday, ending weeks of uncertainty and removing the risk that he could reverse course before the July 13 filing deadline. His letter to the state's division of elections, which he posted on social media, declared simply: "I write to formally withdraw my candidacy for United States Senate."
The move came three days after Platner announced his intention to step aside, citing the need for the movement to continue without him. He blamed those in power for dismantling the structures that had supported his candidacy, though the timing followed fresh allegations of sexual assault from a former girlfriend.
Maine's secretary of state's office confirmed receiving the letter, setting in motion the state's replacement process. Under Maine law, the Democratic Party has until July 27 at 5 p.m. ET to submit a new nominee to face Republican incumbent Sen. Susan Collins in November. That race ranks among the most competitive Senate contests in the nation and could help determine which party controls the chamber.
The Maine Democratic Party plans to hold a nominating convention where candidates can compete for the slot. Potential nominees must formally declare by Wednesday, July 15 at 5 p.m. and will need to demonstrate voter support through petition collection from Maine Democratic voters across the state, according to party officials.
At least half a dozen candidates have already signaled interest in replacing Platner, including several who lost in this year's gubernatorial and Senate primaries, plus one candidate who ran against Collins unsuccessfully in 2014. The party's executive director, Devon Murphy-Anderson, said candidates will be required to speak directly with Maine voters before appearing at the convention.
In his withdrawal letter, Platner acknowledged the more than 156,000 Mainers who voted for him, writing that they sought "a new kind of politics." He described their hopes for union jobs, affordable housing, and secure retirements, then stated: "My name may have been on the ballot, but that ballot line belongs to the people of Maine."
Platner's campaign had been engulfed in controversy since its launch last year. In October, old Reddit posts surfaced in which he used crude language about police and made inflammatory comments about women who experience sexual assault. In May, his wife expressed anger and disappointment after news outlets reported he had exchanged sexual texts with women outside his marriage, a liability his wife had flagged to advisers before he decided to run. In June, multiple ex-girlfriends told The New York Times about what they characterized as unsettling behavior during their relationships with him.
The most recent allegation came from Jenny Racicot, a former girlfriend who told Politico and CNN that Platner forced her to have sex with him in 2021. Platner called the claim "categorically false."
Party officials embraced his exit. Murphy-Anderson told NBC News on Wednesday that the allegations against Platner "were very real and they were very credible," and that his withdrawal "was the right thing to do."
Author Sarah Mitchell: "Platner's hasty exit and the party's scramble to rebuild before late July shows how quickly a Senate hopeful can crater once credible allegations surface, and how little margin for error exists in a race that could decide Senate control."
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