Maine Democrat Platner suspends Senate bid after assault claim
Why it matters: Democrats view Maine as a must-win seat in their push to flip four Republican-held seats and retake the Senate.
Democratic Senate nominee Graham Platner suspended his Maine campaign Wednesday, less than 48 hours 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 but lost support rapidly, including from Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Sen. Bernie Sanders and the national Democratic Party, which cut off campaign funding. Platner had defeated a popular governor in the primary and won 72% of the vote despite earlier controversies over social media posts, a tattoo with Nazi connotations, explicit texts and accusations of threatening behavior. His exit scrambles a race Democrats see as central to unseating Republican Sen. Susan Collins and reclaiming the Senate in November.