Democratic Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner suspended his campaign after being accused of sexual assault.
“We are suspending our campaign operations,” Platner said in a video statement. “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. And I also feel an immense amount of responsibility to everyone who has worked so hard to get us where we are. We went toe to toe with one of the most entrenched political systems in the history of the world and we won.”
Platner previously addressed the allegations against him. He previously said on X, “I wanted to directly address the troubling, serious and false allegations against me. Any allegations of sexually inappropriate behavior is categorically false. Over the last 10 months, I have been deeply humbled by the faith Mainers have put in me. You have welcomed me into your homes, into your places of works, into your restaurants and into your places of worship. You have shown that a different kind of politics, one that puts the interests of people over corporations, is not just possible but is inevitable.”
Maine State Representative Valli Geiger (D) has said Platner is encouraging her to take his place on the ballot. “He said ‘Valli you are a fighter, you have been with this movement since the beginning’,” Geiger told Maine’s Total Coverage.
Others have voiced interest in running for Senate, such as former gubernatorial candidate Troy Jackson, Paige Loud, Dr. Nirav Shah, and Secretary of State Shenna Bellows.
