Graham Platner, a Democratic Senate nominee and Marine veteran who had recently won the Democratic primary in Maine, announced the suspension of his campaign on July 9, 2026. Platner, who had been compared to Donald Trump for his insurgent rise, faced a rape allegation that threatened to undermine one of the Democrats’ key opportunities to flip a Republican-held Senate seat.

Platner posted a video on X stating, “We are suspending campaign operations. This is incredibly difficult, because I know that some will think it’s an admission of guilt, and it most certainly is not.”

Under Maine law, the Democratic Party can replace Platner on the ballot since he withdrew before the July 13 deadline. His exit leaves Maine Democrats with only days to regroup ahead of the November midterm elections, where Platner was set to challenge Republican Senator Susan Collins.

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