“Grey’s Anatomy” star Patrick Dempsey addressed speculation that he could replace disgraced Maine Democrat Graham Platner in the U.S. Senate race, revealing that he seriously considered a run before deciding against it. 
The former “Sexiest Man Alive,” 60, said he gave the idea &#8220;real thought&#8221; before concluding he could make a greater impact outside elected office. 
“Over the past several days, I’ve been asked a question more than once: Would you ever run for the United States Senate?” Dempsey <a href="https://www.pressherald.com/2026/07/08/why-im-not-running-for-us-senate-patrick-dempsey/">wrote</a> in an op-ed published in the Portland Press Herald earlier this week.
Ultimately, he decided to stick to his day job. 
“As I reflected on all of this, I kept coming back to one question: Do I truly want to serve in Congress?” he wrote.
“After a lot of thought, I realized the answer is no. Not because public service isn’t honorable — it absolutely is. But because I believe I can contribute more effectively through the life I’ve already built,” Dempsey said.
He ended the piece by encouraging fans to help others no matter what.
 “That’s the work I want to keep doing. So no, I’m not running for office. But I am asking something of the people who do,” he wrote, encouraging the community to “Lead with humility. Tell the truth. Put people before party.”
Dempsey&#8217;s comments come as Democrats search for a replacement after Platner <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/new-video-shows-disgraced-graham-platner-doing-house-chores-after-campaign-imploded">suspended his campaign</a> for the U.S. Senate after a series of scandals — ranging from his Nazi-themed tattoo and raunchy social media posts to allegations of troubling behavior, sexual assault, and even rape.
Several names have since been floated online as potential replacements, including anti-ICE children’s content creator Rachel Accurso, known as “Ms. Rachel.&#8221;

Patrick Dempsey

‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Star Makes Decision On Maine Senate Run

Celebrities

graham platner

Maine

Maine Democrats

Politics

Senate

With the suspension of Graham Platner’s campaign for Senate, all eyes have turned to the Maine Democratic Party and who it could select to replace the scandal-plagued candidate. 
Platner said Wednesday that he had decided to suspend his campaign in the wake of rape accusations from a former girlfriend he <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/new-video-shows-disgraced-graham-platner-doing-house-chores-after-campaign-imploded?topStoryPosition=undefined&amp;author=Virginia+Kruta&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=1&amp;row=1&amp;rowHeadline=Top+Stories&amp;rowType=Top+Stories&amp;title=What+Graham+Platner+Did+After+Suspending+His+Campaign+Caught+On+Video">categorically denied</a>. His announcement came after days of feuding with Maine Democrats over how the party would replace him if he dropped out of the race.
A nominating convention is planned in the coming days, but few details are available. Democrats have until July 27 to select a new candidate to replace Platner, assuming he formally withdraws from the race by July 13. 
Candidates are already throwing their hats into the ring, including former state Senate President Troy Jackson. Jackson is backed by the leftist organization “Our Revolution,” a group founded by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT). He previously ran for governor and was <a href="https://x.com/DSA_Maine/status/2074374354209579100">endorsed</a> by the Maine chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America. 
“There is a powerful movement of working class people in the state of Maine, and millions more across America who are ready to send a progressive fighter to the Senate. I’ve been fighting for that movement my whole life — and I’m sure as hell not backing down now, when this fight is needed most,” Jackson <a href="https://x.com/TroyJackson207/status/2075020899397292237">said</a> Wednesday. “I’m in.”
The leftist group Progressive Victory <a href="https://x.com/ProgressiveVic/status/2074660153995988994">briefly posted</a> an attack on Jackson, claiming he once threw a bottle at a woman during his time in the state legislature. That post was deleted, and Progressive Victory apologized by saying it had not vetted the allegations. 
Another candidate who jumped into the race on Thursday is Nirav Shah, who previously <a href="https://pdsoros.org/fellows/nirav-shah/">worked</a> for the Cambodian government in the country’s health ministry before running the Illinois Department of Public Health and serving as the top Centers for Disease Control official for Maine. 
“I will fight for Medicare for All because nobody in the wealthiest country on earth should go bankrupt over a medical bill,” he said in a video announcing his campaign. “I will fight to make billionaires and the biggest corporations finally pay their fair share. I will fight to rein in ICE and end the targeting of our immigrant neighbors. And I will fight to end Trump’s reckless foreign wars.”
Dan Kleban, the co-founder of Maine Beer Company and a major Democratic <a href="https://www.fec.gov/data/receipts/individual-contributions/?contributor_name=Dan+Kleban">donor</a>, announced a run for the seat Wednesday evening — his second attempt after a short-lived first primary bid that fizzled out barely a month in.
“I’m glad that Graham Platner has ended his campaign. For too long, this race has not been about Susan Collins’ repeated failures to do what’s right for Maine. We need to get back to that,” he said. “Mainers deserve a senator who will fight for them against the DC establishment while also doing what’s right. I plan to be that senator.”
Jordan Wood, a leftist activist who was once the chief of staff for former California Rep. Katie Porter, said Thursday morning that he was also running to replace Platner. 
“I have been told that I am too progressive, that I am too young, that a gay man can&#8217;t win,&#8221; he said. &#8220;These cynics are wrong. They have been wrong all of our lives. They remain wrong today. I&#8217;m asking for your support to take back control of our party, and our country.&#8221;
Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, who attempted to kick President Donald Trump off the 2024 ballot, is also considering a run for the seat. Bellows issued a ruling in December 2023 finding Trump’s primary petition to be “invalid” because of claims he violated the 14th Amendment’s insurrection clause related to the January 6 riot.  

Another candidate <a href="https://www.wmtw.com/article/valli-geiger-graham-platner-supporting-her-senate-race-maine/71871349">reportedly</a> encouraged by Platner to run is Democrat state Rep. Valli Geiger, the former mayor of Rockland.

Democratic Candidate Graham Platner Holds A Town Hall As He Campaigns for Senate In Maine

Here’s Who Democrats Could Pick To Replace Graham Platner

U.S. Politics

President Donald Trump said it would be “very hard” for Democrats to replace Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner as he faces calls to drop out after being accused of rape. 
“So he won the primary,” Trump <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHhlrvRwGt8">told</a> reporters on Air Force One while traveling back from a NATO summit in Turkey. “It’s very hard for them to do.”
Platner suspended his campaign on Wednesday after a former girlfriend named Jenny Racicot accused Platner of entering her home without permission while heavily intoxicated in 2021 and sexually assaulting her. Platner has denied the allegations. 
“It’s really a question of whether or not you believe the woman. A lot of people say big falsehoods,” Trump said. “He’s in a bind, he’s in a bind. But should they be able to do it? Well, I guess he’s going to lose. I’d imagine he’s going to lose.”
Trump also questioned why Platner did not face more pressure last month after another one of his former girlfriends came forward to the New York Times and alleged that Platner treated her abusively, both physically and emotionally. That accuser, Lyndsey Fifield, was active in conservative politics. 
“It’s very interesting when the Republican woman came out with the same charge, nobody believed her, when this woman came out, everybody believed her,” Trump said. 
Fifield alleged that Platner once twisted her arm behind her back, shoved her into a bedroom, and held the door shut, telling her to stay there until she was “calm.” Fifield said she eventually fell asleep and left the next morning. She later <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/graham-platner-abuse-accuser-says-new-york-times-twisted-her-story-in-gift-to-dems">accused</a> the Times of watering down its story highlighting her experience dating Platner. 
Platner continued to deny all accusations of physical abuse in his <a href="https://x.com/grahamformaine/status/2075009677495058687?s=46">announcement</a> suspending his campaign. 
“I have faced some very serious allegations, and I just want to make it clear, this is all false,” he added. “The things that have been claimed did not happen. It’s not real.”
Maine Democrats have already set in motion the process to replace Platner on the ballot before the July 13 deadline. They are expected to hold a nominating convention in the coming days. In recent days, Platner and the Democratic Party have traded shots about how the replacement process would work. 
“We will announce the full timeline, details for how the nomination process will move forward, information about how to participate, and requirements for candidates soon,” the party said. “We will keep the public informed throughout the process — transparency is of the utmost importance.”

Trump_Platner

Trump Sounds Off On The Democratic Platner Problem

Donald Trump

Under intense pressure to drop out, the Graham Platner campaign is digging in, accusing the Democratic establishment of working behind the scenes to install a replacement nominee.
In a mass text message to supporters, Ben Chin, campaign manager for Graham Platner, accused the Democratic Party of working against the will of Maine voters.
Chin insisted that the campaign has never been about Platner, rather “a movement of working class people” united to defeat incumbent Republican Senator Susan Collins.
“If the Maine Democratic Party hopes to harness our movement and avoid disillusioning the hundreds of thousands of supporters who came into the fray because of our movement’s policies, it must consult the feedback and proposals of the people who built and sustained this,” Chin said in the text message.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
NEW: Ben Chin, campaign manager for Graham Platner in <a href="https://x.com/hashtag/MESEN?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#MESEN</a>, blasted out a mass text
Chin slams the Maine Dem Party for allowing the DSCC to send staffers to plan &#8220;a nominating process behind closed doors&#8221;
It also includes a Survey Monkey link for feedback? <a href="https://t.co/uFY0MgtSQ4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pic.twitter.com/uFY0MgtSQ4</a>
— Ally Mutnick (@allymutnick) <a href="https://x.com/allymutnick/status/2074916012487565408?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">July 8, 2026</a></blockquote>
The Maine Democratic Party shot back Wednesday afternoon, writing, “While the Platner campaign remains focused on distracting from the job of defeating Susan Collins in November with false accusations against us, the Maine Democratic Party remains hyper focused on developing a representative, transparent, and inclusive process to select a new nominee when he chooses to withdraw from the race.&#8221;
&#8220;While we may be frustrated with Graham Platner’s continued efforts to manipulate this process, we are so thankful for his supporters and all of their efforts to defeat Susan Collins — they are a vital part of our Party and deserve to participate in an open process to select Platner’s replacement,&#8221; Maine Democrats <a href="https://x.com/mainedems/status/2074922078319288751?s=46" target="_blank" rel="noopener">added</a>.
The blowup follows an <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/platner-feuds-with-dem-political-establishment-over-potential-replacement?author=Leif+Le+Mahieu&amp;category=undefined&amp;elementPosition=8&amp;row=3&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+News&amp;rowType=Vertical+Carousel&amp;title=Platner%E2%80%99s+Civil+War+With+Democrats+Just+Got+Messier" target="_blank" rel="noopener">extraordinary Tuesday night statemen</a>t from the Maine Democratic Party, which accused the leftist campaign of trying to “put their thumb on the scale.”
“Unfortunately, Graham Platner’s team has repeatedly reached out to us in an attempt to put their thumb on the scale of what this process looks like,” Maine Democratic Party Executive Director Devon Murphy-Anderson said. “We have repeatedly reiterated to Graham Platner’s team that they have no role in determining our next Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate, nor in determining what this process looks like.”
On Wednesday, Chin fired back.
“Under their watch and direction, they allowed the DC-based Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee to send staffers to plan a potential nominating process behind closed doors. Both the state and national parties cut our team, our volunteers, and our vast networks of supporters out of the conversation completely,” Chin said.
“We firmly believe that the supporters and volunteers who built this movement deserve to have a real role in any nomination process,” he added.
It remains unclear who could replace Platner. Many party officials, however, have pointed to former Maine State Senate President Troy Jackson, a Platner ally, as a leading contender. Other potential nominees include Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, former state public health chief Nirav Shah, former city mayor Valli Geiger, and Jordan Wood, the former chief of staff to former Rep. Katie Porter.
Platner’s campaign unraveled over the 4th of July weekend following explosive allegations of rape and sexual assault.
<a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2026/07/06/graham-platner-sexual-assault-allegation-00987737" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Politico</a> interviewed 41-year-old Maine resident Jenny Racicot, who accused Platner of entering her home without permission in 2021 and sexually assaulting her. In a one-two punch, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2026/07/06/us/graham-platner-racicot-allegation-maine-invs?cid=ios_app" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CNN</a> released an interview with Racicot, who described the alleged assault as rape. The Senate hopeful has repeatedly called allegations of nonconsensual sex “categorically false.”
On Tuesday, another ex-girlfriend accused Platner of repeatedly removing condoms without her consent during sex, according to a report by <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/07/07/ex-girlfriend-graham-platner-says-he-removed-condoms-without-consent/?utm_campaign=wp_main&amp;utm_source=twitter&amp;utm_medium=social" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Washington Post</a>, which he denied.
Platner’s exit would mark a stunning fall from grace for the Bernie Sanders-backed oyster farmer, who leaned on a working-class, populist message to catapult himself onto the national political stage and buck his party&#8217;s unpopular establishment wing.
Maine Democrats have until July 13 to replace him on the ballot, leaving the party just days to settle on a new nominee to take on Collins in a race that could determine control of the U.S. Senate.

Maine Senate Candidate Graham Platner Holds His Primary Election Night Event

Platner Team Accuses Democrat Establishment Of Backroom Power Play

2026 Midterms

News

Maine Democrat Senate candidate Graham Platner denied accusations his team was trying to interfere with the process to potentially choose his replacement as he faces continued calls to drop out of the critical race over a rape allegation. 
Platner’s campaign disputed claims made by Maine Democratic Party Executive Director Devon Murphy-Anderson that the campaign was trying to “put their thumb on the scale” of what the process would look like to replace Platner. The calls for Platner to withdraw came after Jenny Racicot, his former girlfriend, came forward on Monday to accuse him of forcing himself on her after breaking into her home back in 2021 while deeply intoxicated. 
“The Platner campaign has reached out to the party to try and understand what this process would look like. At no point has the campaign tried to ‘put its finger on the scale.’ Over 150,000 Mainers voted for this movement, and over 15,000 Mainers volunteered their time and energy to it,” Platner’s campaign <a href="https://x.com/sahilkapur/status/2074678417006420067">told</a> NBC News. “While Graham wouldn&#8217;t want to be a part of the process, he would want to make sure the voters and volunteers make this decision — not the political establishment.”
That statement came after Murphy-Anderson released a <a href="https://x.com/MaineDems/status/2074653501771194683">video</a> attacking the Platner campaign. 
“The Maine Democratic Party has been working around the clock to develop a process to replace our U.S. Senate nominee that is open, inclusive, transparent and fair,” she said. “The integrity of this process is just as important as the outcome. And we are committed to ensuring that Democrats across our state can have confidence in both.”
“Unfortunately, Graham Platner&#8217;s team has repeatedly reached out to us in an attempt to put their thumb on the scale of what this process looks like,” she added. “ We have repeatedly reiterated to Graham Platner&#8217;s team that they have no role in determining our next Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate, nor in determining what this process looks like.”
After Racicot came forward, Platner has rapidly lost support from prominent backers including leftist Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), democratic socialist New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, and Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA). The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee also claimed it would not spend money on the race if Platner remained on the ballot. 
The deadline for Maine Democrats to replace Platner is July 13.

Platner’s Civil War With Democrats Just Got Messier

An ex-girlfriend of embattled Maine Democratic Senate nominee Graham Platner accused him Tuesday of repeatedly removing condoms without her consent during sex, according to a report by <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/07/07/ex-girlfriend-graham-platner-says-he-removed-condoms-without-consent/?utm_campaign=wp_main&amp;utm_source=twitter&amp;utm_medium=social">The Washington Post.</a>
Lyndsey Fifield, who dated Platner in Washington, D.C., from 2013 to 2015 and has previously accused him of physical abuse, claimed he ignored her pleas to wear protection during sex. She said she was not using birth control.
“He would pull condoms off,” she told The Post. “He would do it in a sneaky way. He wouldn’t tell me.”
Platner allegedly removed condoms without Fifield&#8217;s consent at least six times in D.C. during their roughly two-year relationship. 
The practice, commonly referred to as &#8220;stealthing,&#8221; has been recognized in some jurisdictions as a form of sexual battery. There is no federal law criminalizing the practice, though a <a href="https://19thnews.org/2026/04/stealthing-nonconsensual-condom-removal/">handful of states</a>, including Maine, Washington, and Vermont, have enacted laws addressing it. 
The Platner campaign called the allegation &#8220;categorically false and politically motivated,&#8221; according to the outlet. The campaign also noted that Fifield, who has worked in Republican politics, publicly supported Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh when he faced allegations of sexual assault, which he vigorously denied.  
Fifield told The Washington Post she first disclosed the allegation during an off-the-record interview on June 20 before later deciding to go public. She said she decided to come forward to support fellow Platner accuser Jenny Racicot, who <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/a-new-sexual-assault-accusation-rocks-maine-democrat-graham-platner?author=Jacob+Wheeler&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=3&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=A+New+Sexual+Assault+Accusation+Rocks+Maine+Democrat+Graham+Platner">detailed disturbing allegations</a> of rape to Politico and CNN.
“I confronted him both during and after [sex] because he knew that I was not on birth control and how dangerous that was,” she told The Post. 
In June, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/04/us/politics/platner-maine-senate-girlfriends-relationships.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share">The New York Times</a> cited several ex-girlfriends who claimed Platner engaged in a pattern of “intimidating and disturbing” behavior in their relationships and lied about not knowing the meaning of his Nazi tattoo. 
Three of the women, including Fifield, described volatile and “toxic” relationships with the Senate hopeful, claiming he demeaned women, became physically threatening, and was repeatedly unfaithful. <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/04/us/politics/platner-maine-senate-girlfriends-relationships.html">In that report</a>, Fifield accused Platner of twisting her arm, shoving her into a bedroom, and holding the door shut until she became “calm.” 
At the time, the Platner campaign denied the report and rushed to MS NOW to do damage control. 
“There are some allegations in this piece that I just want to be kind of unequivocal about, are simply not true,” <a href="https://x.com/Acyn/status/2062688362633498661?s=20">Platner said on the leftist television network.</a> “Anything alleging physicality, anything alleging that I knew what my tattoo was, these are the statements of someone who’s politically motivated.”
The latest revelations come as Platner is <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/graham-platner-has-a-price-for-dropping-out-report?author=Jacob+Wheeler&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Graham+Platner+Has+A+Price+For+Dropping+Out%3A+Report">reportedly</a> refusing to step aside unless Democrats let him choose his replacement.
Over the past 24 hours, Democrats and leftists have called on Platner to drop out of the race. 
“I have spoken with Graham Platner about the best path forward for Maine. In light of these very serious allegations, I have recommended that he step aside,” Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) <a href="https://x.com/BernieSanders/status/2074532964059197651?s=20">said Tuesday</a>. 
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee would not dedicate financial resources to the election if Platner is the nominee.
“The DSCC will not invest in the Maine Senate race if Platner remains on the ballot,” Schumer said in a statement with fellow Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY). 
Maine Democrats have until July 13 to replace him on the ballot, leaving the party just days to settle on a new nominee to challenge incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins.

Ex-Girlfriend Claims Platner Removed Condoms During Sex Without Her Consent

Elections

Susan Collins

Embattled Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner is reportedly refusing to step aside unless Democrats let him choose his replacement. 
<a href="https://nypost.com/2026/07/07/us-news/accused-rapist-graham-platner-lists-demands-to-dems-as-he-weighs-dropping-out-of-maine-senate-race/">The New York Post</a>, citing a source close to the campaign, reported Tuesday that Platner, who has been <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/a-new-sexual-assault-accusation-rocks-maine-democrat-graham-platner?author=Jacob+Wheeler&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=2&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=A+New+Sexual+Assault+Accusation+Rocks+Maine+Democrat+Graham+Platner">accused of rape</a>, wants to handpick his successor and is insisting the replacement align with his anti-Israel and left-wing views. 
Over the past 24 hours, Democrats and leftists have called on Platner to drop out of the race. 
“I have spoken with Graham Platner about the best path forward for Maine. In light of these very serious allegations, I have recommended that he step aside,” Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) <a href="https://x.com/BernieSanders/status/2074532964059197651?s=20">said Tuesday</a>. 
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee would not dedicate financial resources to the election if Platner is the nominee.
“The DSCC will not invest in the Maine Senate race if Platner remains on the ballot,” Schumer said in a statement with fellow Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY). 
For now, Platner remains in control of his political future. 
In June, he decisively won the Democratic nomination with <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/us/elections/results-maine-primary.html">more than 70%</a> of the vote. Maine Democrats have until July 13 to replace him on the ballot, leaving the party just days to settle on a new nominee to challenge incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins. 
“This vibes to me like a play from Bernie Sanders to slide in Troy Jackson,” another source told The Post. 
Jackson, the leading replacement for Platner, has also been hit with assault allegations, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/leading-dsa-candidate-to-replace-platner-accused-of-hitting-female-colleague-during-argument?author=Zach+Stark&amp;category=undefined&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=3&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+News&amp;rowType=Vertical+Carousel&amp;title=Leading+DSA+Candidate+To+Replace+Platner+Accused+Of+Hitting+Female+Colleague+During+Argument">The Daily Wire</a> previously reported. 
The DSA-affiliated Maine politician was also accused of physical assault on Tuesday by the political organization Progressive Victory, which works with left-wing politicians and influencers to organize grassroots support for leftist causes.
“Troy Jackson in a heated disagreement struck a female colleague with a bottle he threw at her. There are many witnesses and it appears this is a widespread open secret within Maine politics and not an isolated incident,” said Progressive Victory in a social media <a href="https://x.com/ProgressiveVic/status/2074320341929726172">post</a>.  
The group detailed “troubling information” it had received about Jackson.
“In our discussions we have received troubling information about not only Jackson’s behavior, but the behavior of many prominent Maine Democrats toward women more broadly,” the organization wrote. “Both as a result of the credibility of the sources and in the interest of not seeing our movement make the same mistake twice, we are choosing to share some of this now.”
Jackson has yet to comment on the allegations but has already launched an exploratory committee to potentially replace his friend, Platner, on the ballot, according to <a href="https://x.com/yashar/status/2074548332576587788?s=20">FEC filings</a>.
“This is a very, very serious allegation,” Jackson <a href="https://www.bangordailynews.com/2026/07/06/politics/elections/inside-the-democratic-jockeying-to-replace-graham-platner/">said</a> of the accusations against Platner. “This is something I never considered, but if Graham’s stepping away, I am very, very interested and think I’m the best person to replace him.”

Graham Platner Has A Price For Dropping Out: Report

Socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) on Tuesday finally pulled his support for embattled Maine Democratic Senate nominee Graham Platner after a woman <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/dems-ditch-platner-over-rape-claims?author=Jacob+Wheeler&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Dems+Ditch+Platner+Over+Rape+Claims">accused</a> the leftist oyster farmer of rape. 
“I have spoken with Graham Platner about the best path forward for Maine. In light of these very serious allegations, I have recommended that he step aside,” the Vermont senator <a href="https://x.com/BernieSanders/status/2074532964059197651?s=20">said</a>. 
It’s a stunning turnaround for the socialist who championed Platner on the campaign trail and, until now, stood firmly by the embattled oyster farmer despite numerous scandals.
“I’m going to do everything I can to make sure that Graham Platner is the next senator from the state of Maine,” Sanders previously said. 
The dramatic change in tone follows a bombshell Politico story centering around a 41-year-old Maine resident Jenny Racicot who detailed an on-and-off relationship with Platner for more than two years. In late 2021, she claimed a “deeply intoxicated” Platner broke into her home and forced himself on her despite repeatedly telling the oyster farmer to stop.
“I remember him grabbing my pelvis and being really forceful of me,” she said to Politico. “I remember the specific moment where I thought to myself, like, ‘This is no longer my choice.’” 
Racicot said she felt compelled to come forward after other women raised allegations against Platner.
“One of the reasons I didn’t come forward sooner was, the huge moral conflict that I had between supporting his politics, but not supporting him as a person,” she said to Politico. “I just want the truth out there. I just want people to have a whole scope of who he is as a person.”
The woman told the outlet she connected with Platner on the dating app Bumble in 2019 and had consensual sex with him before the night he allegedly assaulted her. 
“I had been telling him these words, like: ‘No, don’t,’” she recalled to Politico. “And, the look on his face and realizing what was happening, I just realized that, like, I am in a situation where there’s no consent here.&#8221;
As of Tuesday afternoon, Platner had given no formal indication that he intends to drop out of the race, though he suggested he is reviewing the best path forward. Maine Democrats face a July 13 deadline to replace Platner on the ballot with another Democrat to challenge incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins.

GettyImages-2278039744

Bernie Sanders FINALLY Addresses Platner Rape Claim

Bernie Sanders

According to a bombshell claim from Maine Wire Editor-in-Chief Steve Robinson, protective measures have been beefed up for people worried about revenge from supporters of Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner.
NewsNation&#8217;s Katie Pavlich amplified Robinson&#8217;s report that certain Mainers are on edge over what he dubbed &#8220;Platneristas,&#8221; writing, &#8220;Security has been increased among certain people in Maine who are afraid of who he called &#8216;Platneristas&#8217; and Platner, especially given his past and statements about violence.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
<a href="https://x.com/SteveRob?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SteveRob</a> reports security has been increased among certain people in Maine who are afraid of who he called “Platneristas” and Platner, especially given his past and statements about violence
&mdash; Katie Pavlich (@KatiePavlich) <a href="https://x.com/KatiePavlich/status/2074268442518040950?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 6, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The Maine Wire itself vouched for the claim, insisting on social media that the account was accurate.
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This is 100% true <a href="https://t.co/68yZgQQtq0">https://t.co/68yZgQQtq0</a>
&mdash; The Maine Wire (@TheMaineWire) <a href="https://x.com/TheMaineWire/status/2074270605659042068?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 6, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Robinson doubled down by explaining that Platner didn&#8217;t just dabble in firearms circles — he allegedly built and ran a paramilitary-style outfit stocked with hard-Left radicals.
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The guy started and trained a paramilitary org filled with left-wing extremists and revolutionaries. <a href="https://t.co/7bZCBLvaBH">https://t.co/7bZCBLvaBH</a>
&mdash; Steve Robinson (@SteveRob) <a href="https://x.com/SteveRob/status/2074334870260592976?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 7, 2026</a></blockquote>
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That accusation traces back to Robinson&#8217;s <a href="https://robinsonreport.substack.com/p/ex-marine-graham-platner-taught-military">own reporting</a> from last October, when he first revealed that Platner — a Marine-turned-oyster farmer — had personally drilled members of the Socialist Rifle Association (SRA) in gun handling. Robinson <a href="https://robinsonreport.substack.com/p/new-evidence-confirms-democrat-senate?r=2fugvw&amp;utm_medium=ios&amp;triedRedirect=true">built on that scoop</a>, writing of Platner:
<blockquote>Posting under the Reddit handle “P-Hustle,” he wrote in August 2020 that his chapter ran “lots of range days, firearms education classes,” that he’d “just put on a defensive handgun course two weekends ago,” and that the group ran monthly introductory courses plus “more advanced classes for experienced members.” In a separate post, he recruited a Mainer to the chapter directly: “We’re quite active.”
On X, the far left gun club posted images from multiple training sessions showcasing members with blurred faces and an arsenal of firearms. The SRA blurs faces in the photographs, but some were insufficiently blurred — including a red-haired, red-bearded man matching Platner.</blockquote>
Platner “was teaching actual paramilitary tactics to an explicitly political, far-Left organization,” Robinson reported.
Robinson also pointed out a political irony: a bill cracking down on paramilitary-style firearms instruction sailed through Maine&#8217;s Legislature in 2024, championed by Democratic state Sen. Joe Baldacci, who unsuccessfully ran for U.S. Congress in this year&#8217;s primary. Robinson noted that the law was framed around fears of Right-wing militias, even as Platner was overseeing the kind of training the statute was designed to outlaw.

Democratic Senate Candidate For Maine Graham Platner Campaigns Around The State

Inside Platner’s Far-Left Gun Network Fueling Fears Of ‘Platnerista’ Retaliation

Guns

Talk about a delayed reaction.
For months, Maine Democratic Senate hopeful Graham Platner sailed through scandal after scandal with the Democratic Party&#8217;s blessing intact. A tattoo tied to Nazi SS iconography? Fine. Old posts sneering at rape victims and calling rural Americans &#8220;stupid&#8221; and &#8220;racist&#8221;? Shrugged off. Cheering on the death of a wounded U.S. soldier online? Chalked up to a &#8220;dark period.&#8221; Steamy texts to other women while married? Overlooked.
Even a supposed <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/04/us/politics/platner-maine-senate-girlfriends-relationships.html?searchResultPosition=9">New York Times exposé</a> detailing ex-girlfriends&#8217; accounts of controlling, physically rough behavior barely dented his support. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9o8vE0Js_VE">waved the Nazi tattoo away</a> by calling Platner &#8220;a human being.&#8221; Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) went on national television days later insisting there was &#8220;no evidence of violence&#8221; and that this was his personal red line — a line, it turns out, that hadn&#8217;t yet been crossed in his eyes.
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Don’t forget that last time Graham Platner was accused of mistreating women, not only did Ro Khanna defend him, he flew out to Maine to campaign for him. <a href="https://t.co/P9CHvy8KUa">pic.twitter.com/P9CHvy8KUa</a>
&mdash; Eyal Yakoby (@EYakoby) <a href="https://x.com/EYakoby/status/2074222801116905511?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 6, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Big names stuck by him through it all: Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-NM), former Labor Secretary Robert Reich, and of course Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), who campaigned at Platner&#8217;s side and later brushed off the mounting allegations of violence against women by <a href="https://www.press.org/newsroom/sanders-takes-aim-trump-mainstream-democrats-corporate-media-remarks">noting</a>, &#8220;There are people in the United States Senate right now who are not saints, I can tell you that.”
So what finally did it? A <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/07/06/top-democrats-pull-graham-platner-endorsements-call-him-end-maine-senate-campaign/">fresh accusation</a> — this one alleging outright sexual assault, not just &#8220;toxicity&#8221; or bad boyfriend behavior. The moment the word &#8220;assault&#8221; entered the conversation, the dam broke. Senate Democratic leadership, including Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, suddenly found their outrage, declaring the allegations &#8220;incredibly disturbing&#8221; and demanding Platner exit the race immediately. Gallego reversed course and yanked his endorsement. Khanna, who just days earlier had drawn his personal red line well short of these claims, now says the accusations are &#8220;very serious and credible&#8221; and pulled his support too.
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Oh, now it&#39;s bad?
&mdash; Stephen L. Miller (@redsteeze) <a href="https://x.com/redsteeze/status/2074243123505725775?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 6, 2026</a></blockquote>
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&#8230;but you were fine endorsing a literal Nazi, of course.
&mdash; Don Marshall (@RealDonMarshall) <a href="https://x.com/RealDonMarshall/status/2074259643698708760?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 6, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Too little too late. You were cool w his Nazi tattoo. You were cool w his racist and misogynistic posts. You were cool W his trashing US vets. You are a disgrace.
&mdash; Anne Herzberg (@AnneHerzberg14) <a href="https://x.com/AnneHerzberg14/status/2074295331119063084?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 7, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Warren joined the chorus urging Platner to step aside. Even Maine&#8217;s own state Democratic Party piled on, framing the flip as a matter of &#8220;judgment&#8221; and &#8220;leadership.&#8221;
Funny how judgment works.
The glaring holdout? Sen. Sanders — one of Platner&#8217;s earliest and loudest cheerleaders — who&#8217;s gone conspicuously silent, declining to answer questions about the new allegation altogether. In May, Sanders refused to answer a reporters&#8217; questions on serious allegations made against Platner.
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As Sanders continues to support Platner, here’s a flashback from May where Sanders snapped at a Fox News Digital reporter and condescendingly told him to “get a better job”
Talk about looking like a total 🤡 right now <a href="https://t.co/JVm5H19FnW">pic.twitter.com/JVm5H19FnW</a>
— Cameron Cawthorne (@Cam_Cawthorne) <a href="https://x.com/Cam_Cawthorne/status/2074486453728313635?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 7, 2026</a></blockquote>
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The whiplash hasn&#8217;t gone unnoticed. Nazi tattoos, greenlit. Mocking a wounded soldier, greenlit. Explicit texts behind a wife&#8217;s back, greenlit. Allegations of shoving a girlfriend into a room and blocking the door, greenlit. But the second the word &#8220;assault&#8221; showed up in a headline, suddenly party leaders discovered principles they&#8217;d somehow misplaced for the better part of a year.
Platner, for his part, denies the latest claim but admits he&#8217;s &#8220;mindful of the political reality&#8221; it creates, and says he&#8217;s weighing his next move.
Maine law gives him until July 13 to bow out gracefully — or force his own party to keep defending the indefensible through November.

The Long List Of Democrats Who Ignored Platner’s Scandals

Elizabeth Warren

nazi tattoo

Ro Khanna

Sexual Assault

U.S. Senate

In the hours since one of Graham Platner&#8217;s former girlfriends accused him of rape, the Maine Democrat has lost the support of the state and national party, as well as nearly every prominent figure who stuck with him through his scandal-plagued campaign.
But he can still count on Stephen King.
&#8220;Graham Platner may drop out. (I hope he doesn&#8217;t, but.),&#8221; the septuagenarian horror writer and Maine resident posted on X. &#8220;Meanwhile, the Abuser in Chief just keeps on keepin&#8217; on.&#8221;
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Graham Platner may drop out. (I hope he doesn&#8217;t, but.) Meanwhile, the Abuser in Chief just keeps on keepin&#8217; on.
— Stephen King (@StephenKing) <a href="https://x.com/StephenKing/status/2074249718662586743?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 6, 2026</a></blockquote>
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King, a former cocaine addict whose 1986 novel &#8220;It&#8221; depicts group sex among minors, has long promoted Democrats and leftwing causes on social media. But his defense of Platner — as well as his attempt to shift the focus to President Donald Trump&#8217;s alleged misdeeds — leaves him prominent among a rapidly dwindling group of supporters.
On Monday, Politico published a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/a-new-sexual-assault-accusation-rocks-maine-democrat-graham-platner?topStoryPosition=undefined&amp;author=Jacob+Wheeler&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=1&amp;rowHeadline=Top+Stories&amp;rowType=Top+Stories&amp;title=A+New+Sexual+Assault+Accusation+Rocks+Maine+Democrat+Graham+Platner">bombshell report</a> in which 41-year-old Maine resident Jenny Racicot recounts how Platner drunkenly broke into her house in 2021 and raped her. The report, which includes corroborating evidence from Racicot and people with whom she shared the story, seems to have been the last straw for Democrats who stuck with Platner through revelations of his offensive social media posts, Nazi tattoo, presence on an app popular among sexual predators, and allegations of abuse from other women.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/dems-ditch-platner-over-rape-claims?topStoryPosition=undefined&amp;author=Jacob+Wheeler&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=3&amp;row=1&amp;rowHeadline=Top+Stories&amp;rowType=Top+Stories&amp;title=Dems+Ditch+Platner+Over+Rape+Claims">demanded</a> that Platner drop out in a statement with fellow New York Democrat Senator Kirsten Gillibrand. The statement said that the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee — which Gillibrand chairs — &#8220;will not invest in the Maine Senate race if Platner remains on the ballot.&#8221;
The Maine Democrat has also lost support from Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) and Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), two of his earliest and most ardent backers. The Maine Democratic Party also withdrew its support, as did leftist podcaster Hasan Piker. Arizona Senator Ruben Gallego (D), embroiled in a controversy of his own, also called for Platner to drop out of the race.
Platner denied Racicot&#8217;s accusations in a <a href="https://x.com/grahamformaine/status/2074214272628916296?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">two-minute video message</a> shared to social media shortly after Politico&#8217;s story dropped.
“Any accusation of nonconsensual behavior is categorically false,” Platner said. “Regardless of the inaccuracy of the reporting, but mindful the political reality it will inflict, we are taking time to reflect on the best path forward.&#8221;
Maine Democrats face a <a href="https://legislature.maine.gov/statutes/21-a/title21-Asec374-A.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">July 13 deadline</a> to swap Platner for another Democrat to challenge incumbent Republican Senator Susan Collins.
Racicot told Politico that she &#8220;didn’t come forward sooner&#8221; due to &#8220;the huge moral conflict that I had between supporting his politics, but not supporting him as a person.&#8221; Seeing other women come forward motivated Racicot to speak out, she says, noting that “I just want the truth out there. I just want people to have a whole scope of who he is as a person.”
&#8220;Tell you what,&#8221; King wrote on X shortly after posting his initial statement of support. &#8220;If you knew the whole truth about everyone in the Senate and House of Reps, those chambers would be dead empty. Jesus said, &#8216;Let him without sin cast the first stone.'&#8221;
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Tell you what&#8211;if you knew the whole truth about everyone in the Senate and House of Reps, those chambers would be dead empty. Jesus said, &#8220;Let him without sin cast the first stone.&#8221;
— Stephen King (@StephenKing) <a href="https://x.com/StephenKing/status/2074250145470812596?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 6, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Two years ago this week, King urged President Joe Biden to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/leftist-author-stephen-king-says-biden-should-bow-out-of-race?author=Amanda+Harding&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Leftist+Author+Stephen+King+Says+Biden+Should+Bow+Out+Of+Race">drop out</a> of the presidential race.

Stephen King

One Of The Left’s Biggest Cultural Icons Is Still With Platner

Rape

Jenny Racicot, 41, said during a CNN interview that aired Monday that Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner, a Democrat, had stopped briefly to apologize while he was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/a-new-sexual-assault-accusation-rocks-maine-democrat-graham-platner">raping her</a>.
Racicot described the scenario to CNN anchor Jake Tapper, claiming that Platner had appeared to be &#8220;blackout drunk&#8221; when he came into her house — and although he did not listen when she told him to stop, there were periods where he &#8220;came to&#8221; and apologized before going right back to what he was doing.
WATCH:
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Ro Khanna and numerous other Democrats have dropped their endorsements of Graham Platner just in time.
Just minutes before CNN&#8217;s Jake Tapper conducted a lengthy exclusive interview with the woman accusing the Senate candidate of r*ping her. <a href="https://t.co/oqyxVuIm03">https://t.co/oqyxVuIm03</a> <a href="https://t.co/5VVWA7oVE1">pic.twitter.com/5VVWA7oVE1</a>
— Media Lies (@MediasLies) <a href="https://x.com/MediasLies/status/2074260143261290668?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 6, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Racicot explained that she and Platner had been texting each other on the evening of the alleged assault, and that she must have said something that he had believed to be an invitation. She said she had not meant it that way, but he said he was going to come over. According to Racicot, she said again that he should not come over, and he stopped responding — at which point she believed he had gotten the message.
It was about thirty minutes later that she said he showed up, entered her home through an unlocked door, and got on top of her. Racicot said she told him several times that she was &#8220;not into&#8221; what he was doing, but that he did not listen. She said that as the assault continued, Platner had a blank look in his eyes.
She said that in the struggle, one of them had knocked over a sewing kit that she kept near the couch — and when the contents hit the ground and scattered, that was the moment she began thinking that she should &#8220;comply&#8221; for her own safety.
&#8220;That was me recognizing that this wasn&#8217;t just like oh, hey, somebody showed up and I&#8217;m going to tell him to go home, like he was heavily intoxicated, had intentions with me, and wasn&#8217;t listening when I said no,&#8221; she claimed.
As the assault continued, she said he seemed to be going in and out of moments of lucidity — and even said that he &#8220;would apologize&#8221; before going right back to what he&#8217;d been doing.
Racicot said that once it was over, she sat in her bathroom for quite some time attempting to process what had happened. The hardest thing, she said, was realizing that he had been someone she trusted and had been involved with before, was that it &#8220;was consensual until it wasn&#8217;t.&#8221;
By the time she came out of the bathroom, she said that Platner had fallen asleep in her bed. Realizing that he had driven to her house drunk and not wanting to put him back on the road in that condition, she said she waited until he woke up and told him to leave. He said he did not remember anything that had happened the night before — and Racicot told him that nothing he had done that night had been acceptable, demanding that he leave.
&#8220;He just got up and got dressed and didn&#8217;t seem concerned,&#8221; she said. &#8220;He didn&#8217;t ask me a single question &#8230; How can somebody that you&#8217;ve been in some type of a relationship with for this long tells you to never speak to [them] again because of something that you did and you don&#8217;t even ask what you did?&#8221;
Racicot told Tapper that she had been torn on whether to come forward, in part because she is a Democrat and would like to see a Democrat win the Senate seat in Maine — but that she felt like she couldn&#8217;t stay silent any longer.
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