Graham Platner, the Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate in Maine, withdrew from the race on July 9, 2026, following a rape allegation made by a former partner. Platner denied the allegation, calling it "false" in an 11-minute video posted to X. He has not been criminally charged regarding the allegation.

John Fetterman, Democratic Senator from Pennsylvania, responded harshly to Platner's exit. On "Jesse Watters Primetime," Fetterman described Platner as a "dead man walking" throughout the campaign due to the controversies surrounding him. He said, "[Platner] will only be remembered as the accused rapist that got pushed out of your election. That's your legacy, bro. And you are a guy that cheats on your wife. You're the guy that roughs up your ex-girlfriend."

Fetterman further told Platner to "go back under that rock that you came from" and criticized Platner's farewell speech, saying, "To give that weird long speech and pretend like people will miss you? No one's going to forget you other than [as] the guy that was pushed out of the election because a woman credibly accused you of raping her. So that's his legacy."

He added that Maine voters now have the opportunity to "really vote on someone that's not a total piece of trash."

Platner's campaign had been marred by multiple allegations, including sexual misconduct and domestic abuse, which contributed to his decision to exit the race.

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