Scandals sink Graham Platner's Senate bid, boosting Susan Collins's odds

Graham Platner suspended his Maine Senate campaign Wednesday, capping a rapid collapse that had once energized progressives and briefly threatened Susan Collins’s grip on a sixth term. The shutdown came after a July 6 allegation from a woman who dated Platner that he forced her to have sex with him in 2021, a claim Platner denied before later calling it false.

Platner launched an outsider pitch in August 2025 as a Marine veteran, Army veteran and oyster farmer from Sullivan and Blue Hill. He won the Democratic nomination. Janet Mills had already suspended her own campaign in April after entering the race with backing from Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, leaving Platner as the party’s most visible challenger to Collins.

Old Reddit posts raised fresh questions about his views. A tattoo resembling a Nazi symbol drew scrutiny before Platner covered it up. He had exchanged sexual text messages with other women while married.

Democratic leaders in Washington moved quickly to distance themselves. Schumer called on Platner to “immediately withdraw.” The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee would not invest if Platner stayed on the ballot, and Senate Majority PAC was redirecting resources away from Maine. The Democratic National Committee called on him to end his campaign. Kirsten Gillibrand, Elizabeth Warren, Martin Heinrich, Ro Khanna, Mark Kelly, Elissa Slotkin, Jon Ossoff, Cory Booker, Adam Schiff, Ruben Gallego and Ed Markey also withdrew support or called for him to exit, along with progressive groups including Our Revolution, VoteVets and End Citizens United.

The party will administer an “open, transparent, and inclusive” process to choose a new nominee. By July 8, officials had approved tentative plans for a nominating convention with roughly 600 elected delegates, and they said the state would need a replacement by July 27 to get on the ballot.

Platner drew crowds, raised money and polled competitively against Collins. A New York Times, Portland Press Herald and Siena College poll found nearly half of likely voters saw him as “too extreme.” Maine officials, including Shenna Bellows and Mattie Daughtry, called the allegations serious, while Joe Baldacci said Platner had left the Democratic Party “in a shambles.” David Costello said, “If Graham Platner is out, then I’m in.”