Maine Senate Democrat Graham Platner suspended campaign after assault claim

Democratic Senate nominee Graham Platner suspended his campaign in Maine on Wednesday, two days after a report published a former girlfriend’s allegation that he entered her home uninvited in 2021 and sexually assaulted her. Platner denied the allegation and said in a video that he was ending his bid because campaign support structures were being pulled away. His collapse came after top Democrats, including Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, withdrew their backing and the national party cut off financial help. Platner had been the party’s challenger to five-term Republican Sen. Susan Collins in a race Democrats see as critical to winning Senate control.