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<\/p>\nEoin Higgins is the author of \u201cOwned: How Tech Billionaires on the Right Bought the Loudest Voice on the Left.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
The day Graham Platner<\/span> became Maine\u2019s Democratic Senate nominee, he spoke behind a podium bearing his indignant campaign slogan: \u201cThey don\u2019t know Maine.\u201d But when sexual assault allegations against the candidate broke this week, supporters and political allies in the state were left wondering instead if they ever really knew Platner \u2014 and uncertain about what\u2019s next for the movement that rallied around him.<\/p>\n On Monday, Jenny Racicot alleged in a Politico article<\/a> that a \u201cdeeply intoxicated\u201d Platner broke into her home and raped her in late 2021, while the two were dating casually. In June, Platner faced claims from conservative activist Lyndsey Fifield that he was physically abusive <\/a>toward her; on Tuesday, Fifield went on the record with the Washington Post<\/a> to allege that during their relationship, Platner repeatedly removed condoms during sex without her consent.<\/p>\n The oyster farmer-turned-politician called Racicot\u2019s allegations \u201cfalse\u201d and \u201ccategorically untrue\u201d to Politico and deemed Fifield\u2019s new allegation \u201ccategorically false and politically motivated\u201d to the Post. <\/p>\n The revelations come on the heels of a long line of scandals that dogged Platner\u2019s campaign, beginning in September 2025 with the revelation that he had a Totenkopf Nazi symbol tattoo<\/a> from his time in the service.\u00a0Maine voters and the state Democratic Party have had enough \u2014 and Platner\u2019s chances appear to have run out.<\/p>\n Still, the populist politics and campaign style the candidate espoused were highly effective in Maine. He relied on a simple message, delivered at town halls and meet-ups across the state. This retail politics allowed to weather earlier storms and, most importantly, to decisively beat<\/a> his only serious challenger, 78-year-old Gov. Janet Mills, who chose to drop out<\/a> of the race before the June primary election.<\/p>\n But while the message was effective, the cascading scandals that have derailed and effectively ended his campaign reveal a problem for progressives ascendant in the Democratic Party: vetting candidates. In June, the Wall Street Journal reported<\/a> that Dan Moraff, who recruited Platner to run, spent $6,250 on an expedited risk-assessment memo. <\/p>\n Some centrist Democrats, like Center for American Progress CEO Neera Tanden, have seized on Platner\u2019s fall as a chance to score political points against the left wing of the party on the heels of its high-profile<\/a> election wins<\/a>. In a post on X<\/a>, Tanden smirked: \u201cSay what you will, but the establishment vets candidates.\u201d She did not, however, address the lack of vetting for establishment candidates like Eric Swalwell<\/a> or the long list<\/a> of losses<\/a> for her wing<\/a> of the party<\/a>, showing that this back and forth is ultimately useless and counterproductive.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n As CNN reported<\/a> on Wednesday, Platner could drop out of the race as soon as this afternoon as pressure continues to mount from the Democratic Party and key allies. The campaign team \u2014 which includes wunderkind Morris Katz<\/a>, the Gen Z political strategist who helped Mayor Zohran Mamdani win in New York<\/a> last year \u2014 is reportedly attempting to negotiate Platner\u2019s exit in exchange for some control over the selection of his replacement, although the state party said Tuesday the campaign should have \u201cno role<\/a>\u201d in that process.\u00a0On Wednesday afternoon, the campaign sent a poll to volunteers<\/a> asking for feedback on next steps.<\/p>\n \u201cWe firmly believe that the supporters and volunteers who built this movement deserve to have a real role in any nomination process,\u201d Ben Chin, Platner\u2019s campaign manager, said in the Wednesday text blast.<\/p>\n Platner\u2019s leverage shouldn\u2019t be mistaken for having the support of a movement that has swiftly distanced itself from him. Almost every single one of his high-profile endorsers, from Bernie Sanders<\/a> to the advocacy group MoveOn<\/a>, have issued calls for Platner to leave the race. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee also said it would not spend money<\/a> on ads in the race if Platner stays in.\u00a0<\/p>\n It\u2019s far from out of the question for the left movement that backed his meteoric rise to have an outsized say in who takes his place, especially after the political message that Platner ran on resonated deeply with voters.\u00a0<\/p>\n A reasonable path forward would involve Platner resigning before July 13 \u2014 the last day he can drop off the general election ticket \u2014 which would give state Democrats until July 27 to nominate a replacement. In a message to party committee members Tuesday, Maine Democratic Party Executive Director Devon Murphy-Anderson asked for patience<\/a>. There\u2019s no accepted process in place by law, but however the party proceeds, it \u201cmust reflect our Democratic values,\u201d Murphy-Anderson wrote. \u201cIt should be open, inclusive, transparent, and fair.\u201d<\/p>\n This is uncharted territory, but due to Maine\u2019s ranked-choice voting system, there are a number of potential replacements who just spent months talking to voters for the governor\u2019s race. Of the losing candidates, Nirav Shah, Troy Jackson, and Shenna Bellows are most likely to make a strong case for facing off against Sen. Susan Collins in the fall.\u00a0<\/p>\n Shah placed second in the final count to ultimate nominee Hannah Pingree but has work to do to appeal to the progressive Democratic base that propelled Platner to his dominant showing in the primary. It looks like he\u2019s already making moves to position himself as a possible candidate, telling one user on X<\/a> that he would vote against military aid to Israel and is calling the Gaza genocide a genocide.<\/p>\n