2026年7月9日 美国东部时间下午2:17 / 福克斯新闻
普拉特纳因丑闻缠身且各方齐声呼吁其立即退选，放弃参议院竞选
文/保罗·施泰因豪泽 福克斯新闻
民主党候选人格雷厄姆·普拉特纳因性侵犯指控退出缅因州参议院竞选，引发民主党方面 scrambling 替换候选人。作为极左翼民主党人，普拉特纳在退选时言辞激烈，批评了企业媒体和建制派民主党人。
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格雷厄姆·普拉特纳已退出竞选，但这场持续近一年的缅因州参议院激进派竞选因多起争议轰然倒塌，留下的烂摊子将成为共和党在其他关键中期选举选区攻击民主党的弹药。
“民主党人与普拉特纳同流合污，如今他们与这个病态怪物的关联让自己彻底蒙羞，”美国共和党全国委员会主席乔·格鲁特斯在周三晚间发布声明称，就在当天晚间，这位海军陆战队退伍军人宣布暂停竞选。
共和党目前正将普拉特纳与多名国会参众两院选举中的民主党候选人绑定，这些选举将直接影响中期选举中国会控制权的争夺。
普拉特纳这位民粹主义民主党人于去年9月获得了参议员伯尼·桑德斯（I-佛蒙特州）等全国进步派领袖的支持，他正在挑战长期任职的共和党参议员苏珊·柯林斯，这场缅因州的竞选备受瞩目、局势紧张且耗资巨大，而缅因州是为数不多的几个将决定共和党能否在11月中期选举中保住微弱参议院多数席位的州之一。
普拉特纳宣布退选，因丑闻缠身放弃参议院竞选
2026年6月9日，缅因州民主党联邦参议院候选人格雷厄姆·普拉特纳在缅因州布鲁克林希尔的布鲁克林希尔基督教青年会举行的初选之夜活动上。（格雷姆·斯隆/彭博社 via 盖蒂图片社）
普拉特纳退选的两天前，周一下午曝出一则爆炸性报道，一名曾与他约会的女性指控他强奸。就在这篇报道发布后，全美各地的民主党高层纷纷呼吁他立即退选。
但普拉特纳这位退伍军人兼牡蛎养殖户的竞选势头强劲，在上个月的初选中击败了民主党建制派，而在此之前他就已被迫为自己辩护。
当时，他已被删除的Reddit账号上过去发表的煽动性言论再次浮出水面，与此同时，他胸前一个被掩盖的类似纳粹标志的纹身曝光。紧接着，又有报道称，普拉特纳在已婚期间与多名女性发送露骨的性信息，随后又有前女友公开指控他有强奸幻想、酗酒和暴力行为的历史。
普拉特纳多次否认暴力指控，并称他的纹身和Reddit帖子都是年轻时候的所作所为，如今他已改头换面。
在回应最新的强奸指控时，普拉特纳在周三的退选视频中显然十分愤怒地指责道：“这一切都是虚假的。所谓的指控根本没有发生。这不是真的。”
普拉特纳出局：接下来会发生什么，谁在匆忙寻找替代人选
2026年6月7日，缅因州民主党联邦参议院候选人格雷厄姆·普拉特纳在缅因州波特兰的一场竞选活动外向挤满人群的场地发表讲话。（罗伯特·F·布卡蒂/美联社照片）
但共和党认为，他们可以利用普拉特纳的有毒包袱作为武器，攻击今年关键选举中的一些民主党人——尤其是那些曾支持这位缅因州候选人或在先前指控中为他辩护的人。
“每一位支持格雷厄姆·普拉特纳的民主党人都支持了一名强奸犯，每一位保持沉默的民主党人都同谋了，”格鲁特斯说道。
共和党迅速将矛头指向缅因州第二国会选区的民主党候选人马特·邓拉普，该选区是民主党掌控的开放席位，以农村地区为主，唐纳德·特朗普总统在过去三届总统选举中均在此获胜，美国全国共和党国会委员会（NRCC）正重点关注该选区。
邓拉普曾支持普拉特纳，并在6月9日缅因州初选前几天与他一同出席了一场竞选活动。
“脱离实际的怪人马特·邓拉普可能对纳粹爱好者和虐待女性的男人毫不在意，但在11月，他会亲眼看到缅因州民众并非如此。邓拉普与这个卑劣之人的勾结已经足够 disqualifying（丧失资格），”全国共和党国会委员会发言人莫琳·奥图尔指责道。
周一，在众多民主党人呼吁普拉特纳退选的浪潮中，邓拉普在一份声明中表示：“今日报道的指控十分严重，理应得到应有的重视。因此，我呼吁格雷厄姆·普拉特纳退出参议院竞选，这样我们就能团结起来，支持一位能在11月顺利接过火炬的候选人。”
2026年民主选举：关注福克斯新闻选举中心获取最新动态
在相邻的摇摆州新罕布什尔州，全国共和党国会委员会将矛头指向斯特凡妮·沙欣，她是该州第一国会选区9月初选的民调领跑者，这也是另一个关键的摇摆席位，将纳入约二三十个决定共和党能否在中期选举中保住微弱众议院多数席位的选区之列。
“新罕布什尔州民众会让沙欣为其糟糕的判断力付出代价，”奥图尔说道。
沙欣从未支持过普拉特纳，但直到周一才明确谴责他，当时她在一份声明中表示：“性侵犯指控令人极为不安。”
“格雷厄姆·普拉特纳需要退出这场竞选。我站在勇敢站出来的女性一边，”她补充道。
沙欣的竞选团队告诉福克斯新闻数字频道，共和党人虚伪至极，并以唐纳德·特朗普总统为例指出了双重标准。
“斯特凡妮·沙欣呼吁格雷厄姆·普拉特纳退选。共和党党羽完全虚伪，即便在唐纳德·特朗普被勒令向一名他性侵的女性支付数百万美元赔偿金后，仍在为他辩解，”沙欣的竞选经理艾玛·格林伯格告诉福克斯新闻数字频道。
“他们对28名指控特朗普性侵的女性只字不提。斯特凡妮将继续对抗唐纳德·特朗普的腐败私利和厌女行为，以及那些不断为其撑腰的党羽。”
这场国会选举的获胜者将接替连任四届的民主党众议员克里斯·帕帕斯，他今年正在竞选参议员。
前共和党参议员约翰·E·苏努努是该选区共和党领跑者，他指责帕帕斯“在格雷厄姆·普拉特纳问题上失职”，并借此攻击帕帕斯。
这番言论呼应了保守派倾向的《新罕布什尔州日报》对帕帕斯的一篇重磅报道。
从未支持过普拉特纳的帕帕斯周一也在社交媒体上表示：“针对格雷厄姆·普拉特纳的指控令人发指，他必须让位。”
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帕帕斯的竞选团队也指出，获得特朗普支持的苏努努同样虚伪。
“唐纳德·特朗普被认定犯有性侵罪，吹嘘自己性骚扰女性和女孩，公开诽谤和贬低幸存者，在爱泼斯坦文件中被提及超过3.8万次——但约翰·苏努努还是接受了特朗普的背书，”克里斯·帕帕斯竞选参议院团队的发言人盖茨·麦克弗森说道。“克里斯·帕帕斯立即呼吁普拉特纳让位。约翰·苏努努仍然站在唐纳德·特朗普一边。两者不可同日而语。”
新罕布什尔州这个民主党掌控的参议院席位的角逐是大约十几个将决定共和党能否保住参议院多数席位的选举之一。
民主党人质疑，共和党将普拉特纳作为攻击武器的系统性宣传在今年秋季对选民是否会有效。
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“摇摆选区的选民根本不关心格雷厄姆·普拉特纳，”支持国会民主党人的顶级超级政治行动委员会“众议院多数PAC”的通讯总监C·J·沃克在一份声明中告诉福克斯新闻数字频道。
沃克转而聚焦民生议题，辩称选民“关心的是共和党如何违背降低成本的承诺，通过推行关税、新战争和毁灭性医保削减的有毒议程抬高了民众负担。与此同时，民主党正致力于让生活更负担得起、铲除腐败，我们将在11月赢得选举。”
保罗·施泰因豪泽为福克斯新闻全程报道全国竞选活动
Democrats are ‘completely stained’ after backing Platner through multiple scandals, Republicans charge
July 9, 2026 2:17pm EDT / Fox News
Platner dropped his Senate bid amid mounting scandals and a chorus of calls to immediately exit the race
By Paul Steinhauser Fox News
Democratic candidate Graham Platner exits the Maine Senate race due to sexual assault allegations, prompting a scramble among Democrats to replace him. Platner, a far-left Democrat, went down swinging, criticizing corporate media and establishment Democrats.
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Graham Platner is taking his name off the ballot, but the trail of debris left from the mounting controversies that brought down his nearly year-long insurgent Senate campaign in Maine is giving Republicans ammunition to use against Democrats in other crucial midterm races.
“Democrats rolled in the mud with Platner, and now they are completely stained by their association with this sick monster,” Republican National Committee Chair Joe Gruters charged in a statement minutes after the Marine Corp veteran announced on Wednesday night that he was suspending his campaign.
Republicans are now linking Platner to Democrats in a handful of House and Senate races that will directly impact the midterm battle for control of Congress.
Platner, a populist Democrat backed last September by leading national progressives like Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., was challenging longtime Republican Sen. Susan Collins in a high-profile, combustible and very expensive race in Maine, which is one of a handful that will determine if the GOP holds onto its slim Senate majority in November’s midterm elections.
PLANTER CALLS IT QUITS, DROPS SENATE BID AMID MOUNTING SCANDALS
Graham Platner, a Democratic U.S. Senate candidate for Maine, during a primary election night event at the Blue Hill YMCA in Blue Hill, Maine, June 9, 2026.(Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Platner’s exit from the race came two days after an explosive report on Monday afternoon contained an allegation of rape from a woman he previously dated. It was only after that report when a chorus of calls emerged from top Democrats across the country for him to immediately drop out.
But Platner, the combat veteran and oyster farmer whose campaign caught fire and steamrolled the Democratic establishment, had already been forced on defense ahead of the his primary victory last month.
Past inflammatory online comments made on a now-deleted Reddit account came back to haunt him at the same time he was reeling from revelations of a now covered-up tattoo on his chest that resembled a Nazi symbol. Then reports that Platner exchanged sexually explicit messages with several women while married came right before allegations from ex-girlfriends of a history of rape fantasies, heavy drinking and violent episodes were made public.
Platner repeatedly called the allegations of violence untrue and dismissed his tattoo and Reddit posts as actions taken by a younger man who has now changed.
And addressing the latest rape allegation, a visibly irritated Platner charged in his suspension video on Wednesday: “This is all false. The things that have been claimed did not happen. It is not real.”
PLATNER’S GONE: HERE’S WHAT’S NEXT AND WHO’S SCRAMBLING TO REPLACE HIM
Graham Platner, Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, speaks to an overflow crowd outside a campaign event June 7, 2026, in Portland, Maine.(Robert F. Bukaty/AP Photo)
But Republicans see an opportunity to use Platner’s toxic baggage as a cudgel against some Democrats on the ballot in key races this year — especially those who once backed the Maine candidate or defended him against previous allegations.
“Every Democrat that endorsed Graham Platner endorsed a rapist, and every Democrat that stayed silent was complicit,” Gruters argued.
The GOP quickly took aim at Matt Dunlap, the Democratic nominee in Maine’s 2nd Congressional District, a Democrat-controlled open seat in a mostly rural district President Donald Trump carried in the past three presidential elections that the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) is heavily targeting.
Dunlap endorsed Platner and appeared with him at a campaign event days before Maine’s June 9 primary.
“Out of touch freak Matt Dunlap might be okay with Nazi lovers and men who abuse women, but in November, he’ll see for himself that Mainers aren’t. Dunlap’s embrace of this vile human is disqualifying,” NRCC Spokeswoman Maureen O’Toole charged.
On Monday, amid a wave of Democrats calling on Platner to call it quits, Dunlap said in a statement, “The allegations reported today are serious, and they deserve to be treated with the gravity they warrant. As such, I am calling on Graham Platner to withdraw from the race for Senate so we can all come together behind a nominee who can successfully carry the torch in November.”
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In neighboring battleground New Hampshire, the NRCC took aim at Stefany Shaheen, the polling front runner in the September primary in the state’s 1st Congressional District, another crucial swing seat that is among roughly two to three dozen that will determine if the GOP holds its razor-thin House majority in the midterms.
“Granite Staters will hold Shaheen accountable for her appalling judgment,” O’Toole argued.
Shaheen never endorsed Platner, but did not explicitly condemn him until Monday, when she said in a statement that “the allegations of sexual assault are extremely disturbing.”
“Graham Platner needs to drop out of this race. I stand with the women who bravely came forward,” she added.
The Shaheen campaign told Fox News Digital that Republicans are being hypocritical, and pointed to President Donald Trump as an example of the double standard.
“Stefany Shaheen called for Graham Platner to drop out. Republicans hacks are total hypocrites still excusing Donald Trump even after he was forced to pay millions in damages to a woman he sexually abused,” Shaheen campaign manager Emma Greenberg told Fox News Digital.
“They have nothing to say about the twenty-eight women who have accused Trump of sexually abusing them. Stefany is going to keep taking on Donald Trump’s corrupt self-dealing and misogyny along with the hacks who keep enabling it.”
The general election winner in the congressional race will succeed four-term Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas, who is running for the Senate this year.
Former GOP Sen. John E. Sununu, the Republican front-runner in that race, took aim at Pappas over what he charged were the “failures of Chris Pappas when it comes to Graham Platner.”
The statement spotlights a critical piece on Pappas penned by the conservative-leaning New Hampshire Journal.
Pappas, who never endorsed Platner, also took to social media on Monday, saying, “The allegations against Graham Platner are reprehensible, and he must step aside.”
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The Pappas campaign also argued that Sununu, who is backed byTrump, is being hypocritical.
“Donald Trump was found liable for sexual abuse, bragged about sexually harassing women and girls, has publicly defamed and demeaned survivors, and is mentioned in the Epstein files over 38,000 times — and John Sununu accepted Trump’s endorsement anyway,” Chris Pappas for Senate spokesperson Gates MacPherson said. “Chris Pappas called on Platner to step aside immediately. John Sununu still stands with Donald Trump. They are not the same.”
The Senate showdown for the Democrat-controlled seat in New Hampshire is one of roughly a dozen races that will determine if Republicans retain their majority in the chamber.
Democrats question how effective any concerted push by the GOP to use Platner as ammunition may be with voters this autumn.
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“Battleground district voters don’t care about Graham Platner, CJ Warnke, communications director at the House Majority PAC, the top super PAC supporting congressional Democrats, told Fox News Digital in a statement.
Warnke, pivoting to affordability, argued that voters “care about how Republicans broke their promise lower costs by passing a toxic agenda of tariffs, new wars, and devastating health care cuts. Meanwhile, Democrats are running on making life more affordable and rooting out corruption, and in November we’re going to win.”
Paul Steinhauser covers the national campaign trail from coast to coast for Fox News
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