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Graham Platner Drops Out of Maine Senate Race After Sexual Assault Allegations
Platner's exit leaves Democrats scrambling to field a new candidate to take on Senator Susan Collins.
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Graham Platner drops out of Senate race after rape allegation
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Followed scandals over Nazi tattoo, offensive social media posts, more
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Graham Platner drops out of Maine Senate race after sexual assault accusation
His decision comes days before a key deadline, allowing Maine’s Democratic Party to select a new candidate to face Republican Sen. Susan Collins in a critical contest for Senate control.
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Politics - CBSNews.com
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Graham Platner formally drops out of Maine Senate race
Graham Platner had until 5 p.m. on Monday to formally suspend his campaign or he would remain on the ballot in November.
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Blaze Media
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Graham Platner DROPS OUT of pivotal Senate race after holding Democrats hostage
The beleaguered campaign of Graham Platner has come to an end after a woman he dated formerly accused him of sexual assault.Platner was seeking to defeat Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine and help Democrats take back control of the U.S. Senate in the midterms before the bombshell report hit Monday. 'We are taking the time to reflect on the best path forward.' Platner said he was suspending the campaign in a post Wednesday evening. "My name might be on the ballot right now, but that ballot line belongs to the people of Maine," he said. "What comes next needs to come from the people of Maine," he said in the video. "We believe that for the movement to continue, it can't be me. For that reason, we are suspending campaign operations," he added.Platner denied the accusations from a woman who dated him nearly five years ago and documented her allegations in an extensive Politico report on Monday. "Any accusation of nonconsensual behavior is categorically false," Platner said in a statement about the accusations Monday. Platner had also released a video calling the allegations "troubling, serious, and false" but admitted he was considering dropping out. "Regardless of the inaccuracy of the reporting," he said, "and mindful of the political reality it will inflict, we are taking the time to reflect on the best path forward." On Wednesday, after numerous Democrats revoked their endorsements and called for him to step down, he made the fateful announcement.Platner's campaign was plagued from the beginning by numerous scandals, including a Nazi-linked tattoo on his chest and accusations that he had sought romantic partners while married to his wife.RELATED: 'Should be nowhere near Congress': Even 'The View' thinks Graham Platner is a TERRIBLE candidate The latest polling showed Platner slightly ahead of Collins by a slim margin of 2 percentage points, which was well within the margin of error.He blamed some of his past behavior on mental health issues stemming from his time serving in the military during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
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Graham Platner drops out of Senate race after rape allegation proved to be final nail in coffin
Democratic Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner suspended his campaign Wednesday after a previous girlfriend accused him of sexual assault. Platner announced his exit two days after 41-year-old […]
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New York Post
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Graham Platner drops out of Maine Senate race in light of rape accusations
Scandal-plagued Graham Platner has suspended his Maine Senate campaign in an earthquake development for the 2026 battle for control of the upper chamber after an ex alleged he raped her five years ago.
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Graham Platner drops his bid for Senate after facing an allegation of rape
Platner's campaign to unseat GOP Sen. Susan Collins in Maine was marked by repeated scandals. It came to a crashing halt after the allegation led top Democrats to withdraw their support.
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