Maine Democratic Senate candidate ends campaign after rape accusation

Graham Platner ended his campaign for the U.S. Senate seat held by Sen. Susan Collins on Wednesday night. The withdrawal followed an accusation of rape made by a woman he had dated, who appeared on national television to describe the alleged incident. Platner denies the accusation.

Prior allegations and statements Before the rape accusation became public, Platner had faced scrutiny over a Nazi tattoo he kept for nearly 20 years and removed only after deciding to run. " Additional past comments included asking why Black people do not tip and sending explicit messages to women who were not his wife.

Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, along with Rep.

Ro Khanna, withdrew their endorsements after the rape allegation surfaced. Sen. John Fetterman had not endorsed Platner. New York Times columnist Frank Bruni had previously written that he would vote for Platner despite concerns over the candidate's limited experience and past statements, citing the stakes of the election.

The article states that the episode illustrates a political culture in which character concerns are set aside when winning is viewed as the overriding priority.