{"id":2628128,"date":"2026-07-10T17:56:01","date_gmt":"2026-07-10T21:56:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/graham-platner-formally-withdraws-from-maine-senate-race\/"},"modified":"2026-07-10T17:57:01","modified_gmt":"2026-07-10T21:57:01","slug":"graham-platner-formally-withdraws-from-maine-senate-race","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/graham-platner-formally-withdraws-from-maine-senate-race\/","title":{"rendered":"Graham Platner formally withdraws from Maine Senate race"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fgraham-platner-formally-withdraws-from-maine-senate-race%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2628128&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Graham Platner, who secured the Democratic nomination for Maine\u2019s U.S. Senate seat, withdrew from the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/lincoln-project-co-founder-attacks-meghan-mccain-in-twitter-meltdown\/\" title=\"Lincoln Project Co...Founder Attacks Meghan McCain In Twitter Meltdown\">race amid allegations<\/a> of sexual assault. The allegations, which emerged earlier in the week, included claims from a woman about a past on-and-off relationship, and accusations of non-consensual acts. Platner denied the charges, asserting they were false and aimed at sabotaging his campaign. His withdrawal means his name will not appear on the ballot, and the Maine Democratic Party will hold a convention to select a new nominee, with several candidates already vying for the position. Platner expressed frustration with the political establishment and media, criticizing what he described as unjust judgment. The controversy has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/anti-ice-agitator-died-near-org-charged-in-somali-fraud-scheme\/\" title=\"Anti...ICE Agitator Died Near Org Charged In Somali Fraud Scheme\">drawn wider attention<\/a>, with some Democrats criticizing Bernie Sanders for supporting Platner&#8217;s initial rise.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/graham-platner\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"22643\">Graham Platner<\/a>, the oyster farmer who won the Democratic nomination for <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/maine\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"193\">Maine<\/a>\u2018s <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/senate\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"8765\">Senate<\/a> seat, formally withdrew from the race on Friday following allegations of sexual assault.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Platner\u2019s campaign imploded after allegations that he sexually assaulted a woman five years ago were published on Monday, resulting in the Maine Democrat suspending his campaign on Wednesday. The allegations resulted in partywide calls for Platner to withdraw from the race, including from Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), an early supporter of his campaign.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/4644658\/graham-platner-withdraws-maine-senate-sexual-assault-allegations\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Graham Platner formally withdraws from Maine Senate race<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/4643624\/chuck-schumer-trump-firings-brazen-attempt-control-elections\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Schumer calls Trump\u2019s election commission firings \u2018brazen attempt\u2019 to control elections<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/4643255\/fetterman-mccormick-joint-fundraiser-democrats-support-wanes\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Fetterman and McCormick launch joint fundraiser as Democrat\u2019s support wanes in his party<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cOn June 9th, 156,084 Mainers voted for a new kind of politics,\u201d Platner wrote in a letter addressed to Maine\u2019s secretary of state. \u201cPeople are desperate for change. For this broken system to be righted. For the American experiment to be furthered. Over the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/exclusive-mitch-mcconnell-led-effort-to-trash-bob-dole-aides-career-over-peripheral-tie-to-january-6\/\" title=\"Exclusive \u2014 Mitch McConnell Led Effort to Trash Bob Dole Aide\u2019s Career over Peripheral Tie to January 6\">past eleven months<\/a>, thousands and thousands of Mainers poured their hearts, time, and talent into a movement to deliver that vision. I will be forever grateful to them.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd in submitting this letter today,\u201d he wrote, \u201cI seek to further the movement we have built together and the future we believe in. My name may have been on the ballot, but that <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >ballot line belongs<\/a> to the people of Maine. As such, please consider this notice as my official withdrawal from consideration for this office.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-15\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Maine Secretary of State\u2019s office confirmed it received Platner\u2019s letter shortly after it was posted to his campaign account on X. The office said that because Platner withdrew his candidacy before the July 13 deadline, his name will not appear on the ballot, and the Maine Democratic Party will be able to select a replacement Senate nominee.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Party leadership approved a convention in which 600 delegates from Maine\u2019s 16 counties will vote on a new nominee. The party has a July 27 deadline to coalesce around a new candidate, per Maine law.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Several candidates have already thrown their hats in the ring for the Senate race, many of whom ran for office earlier this year. Among them are Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, former public health official Nirav Shah, former Maine Senate President Troy Jackson, and former 2nd District candidate Jordan Wood. Bellows, Shah, and Jackson all appeared on last month\u2019s gubernatorial ballot.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-16\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Candidates must procure 500 signatures to be eligible for the convention, with at least 50 signatures in eight of the 16 counties.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a series of interviews with <em>Politico<\/em> <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2026\/07\/06\/graham-platner-sexual-assault-allegation-00987737\">published<\/a> Monday, Jenny Racicot, 41, claimed she and Platner had an on-and-off relationship for two years until Platner entered her home while drunk and forced himself onto her.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A second story, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4639810\/graham-platner-ex-condoms-allegations\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4639810\/graham-platner-ex-condoms-allegations\/\">published by the <em>Washington Post<\/em><\/a>, alleged that Platner would remove condoms during sex without the consent of an ex-girlfriend.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-17\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the video announcing he was suspending his campaign Wednesday, Platner insisted the allegations were false and designed to derail his campaign.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI just want to make it clear, this is all false,\u201d he said. \u201cThe things that have been claimed did not happen. It\u2019s not real. This was the last week to try to get me off of the ballot, and that\u2019s why this is occurring.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4643042\/democrats-fume-bernie-sanders-graham-platner-maine-senate-race\/\"><strong>DEMOCRATS FUME AT BERNIE SANDERS FOR ENABLING GRAHAM PLATNER\u2019S RISE IN MAINE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Platner repeatedly emphasized the role of the \u201cpolitical establishment\u201d and \u201ccorporate media\u201d in his withdrawal from the race, saying they \u201cgot to act as judge, jury, and executioner\u201d before any investigations could take place.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-25\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-4\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Platner, a populist Democrat, struck a similar defiant tone in his formal letter to withdraw, signing off with a final message: \u201cF*** ICE. Free Palestine. Up the Hearts.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Graham Platner withdraws from Maine Senate race amid assault allegations<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2912,"featured_media":2628129,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/zumaamericasfiftyfour304359.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[37148,65649,65283,32603,41226],"class_list":["post-2628128","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-election-update","tag-graham-platner","tag-maine-senate-race","tag-political-news","tag-political-resignation"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/zumaamericasfiftyfour304359.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2628128","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2912"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2628128"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2628128\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2628132,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2628128\/revisions\/2628132"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2628129"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2628128"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2628128"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2628128"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}