Maine Democrat Drops Out of Senate Race After Assault Allegations, Shaking Up GOP Hopes

Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner suspended his campaign Wednesday after new sexual assault allegations emerged, throwing the race against Republican Senator Susan Collins into chaos and giving Iowa Republicans a clearer path to holding the Senate majority.

Platner, a Marine veteran and oyster farmer, had won the Democratic primary with 72% of the vote in June after progressive activists pushed aside establishment favorite Governor Janet Mills. But his campaign unraveled quickly after Politico reported Monday that a former girlfriend, Jenny Racicot, accused him of forcing her to have sex in 2021.

“We believe for the movement to continue, it can’t be me and for that,