Graham Platner Withdraws from Maine Senate Race After Assault Accusation

Graham Platner submitted formal withdrawal paperwork to the Maine Secretary of State’s Office on July 10, 2026, ending his candidacy for the U.S. Senate. Platner had suspended his campaign on July 8 after former girlfriend Jenny Racicot accused him of entering her home without permission and raping her in 2021.

He posted a letter on X that stated Mainers voted for a new kind of politics and cited his primary support for Medicare for All, limits on billionaire influence in elections, and an end to taxpayer-funded wars. The letter concluded with the phrase “F*ck ICE. ” Platner won the Democratic primary in June 2026 with 156,084 votes and a margin exceeding 70 percentage points.

The Maine Democratic Party withdrew its support after the accusations surfaced. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee stated it would not invest in the race if Platner remained the nominee. New York Post reported that Platner would have remained the Democratic nominee if he had not withdrawn by 5 p.m.

On July 13, 2026. State party leaders have until July 27, 2026, to organize a nominating convention expected to include roughly 600 delegates. New York Post also reported that individuals who have expressed interest in the nomination include former Maine Senate President Troy Jackson, former public health official Nirav Shah, Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, Maine Beer Co.

Co-founder Dan Kleban, former Capitol Hill staffer Jordan Wood, social worker Paige Loud, and state Rep. Valli Geiger. Geiger stated that Platner encouraged her to run. Additional allegations reported by New York Post include claims from another former girlfriend, Lyndsey Fifield, of physical abuse more than a decade earlier, and statements from a former campaign aide that Platner sent sexual text messages to as many as six women around August 2025.