Maine Democratic Senate nominee Graham Platner is weighing his political future on Wednesday after a sexual assault allegation triggered a cascade of withdrawn endorsements, throwing one of the party's most important 2026 races into turmoil. Senator Bernie Sanders, long one of the campaign's most prominent backers, said Platner should step aside, joining a growing chorus of Democrats who have distanced themselves from the nominee.
The crisis began when Jenny Racicot, a Maine woman who previously dated Platner, told Politico that he entered her home in 2021 while drunk and forced her to have sex after she told him to stop. Platner denied the allegation on Monday, stating that any accusation of non-consensual behavior is categorically false, while acknowledging that his campaign is deciding the best path forward.
The political fallout has been swift. Sanders became the most notable lawmaker to pull his support, while Arizona Senator Ruben Gallego also announced he was withdrawing his endorsement. The Democratic-leaning political group End Citizens United took the same step, and party leaders in Washington and Maine are scrambling to determine what happens next.
Platner, a 41-year-old oyster farmer and military veteran, had consolidated support from progressive leaders at a time when many Democratic voters have grown disenchanted with the party establishment. His rise pushed Governor Janet Mills, 78, out of the primary race, though she pointedly declined to endorse him after stepping aside. Platner is the party's nominee to challenge Republican Senator Susan Collins in November.
The stakes for Democrats are considerable. Maine is widely viewed as a must-win state in the party's effort to retake the Senate, where Republicans currently hold a 53 to 45 majority and Democrats need a net gain of four seats. Party strategists have already begun discussing who might replace Platner on the ballot if he withdraws before the November 3 election.
Platner has given no firm timeline for a decision, and Maine election officials would need to sort out the mechanics of any late candidate substitution. For now, Democrats face an uncomfortable standoff between a nominee who denies wrongdoing and a party increasingly convinced that the seat cannot be won with him at the top of the ticket.
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