2026-07-08T20:17:21-04:00 / 福克斯新闻频道
普拉特纳退选让缅因州民主党得以提名新候选人，挑战共和党现任参议员苏珊·柯林斯
作者：保罗·斯坦豪泽、安德鲁·马克·米勒、亚历克西斯·麦卡达姆斯、杰西卡·松金 福克斯新闻
发布时间：2026年7月8日 美国东部夏令时晚8:17 | 更新时间：2026年7月8日 美国东部夏令时晚8:33
格雷厄姆·普拉特纳周三宣布退出缅因州联邦参议员竞选，此前其前女友指控他犯有强奸罪。普拉特纳否认了相关指控。（图片来源：格雷厄姆·普拉特纳通过X平台发布）
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缅因州处境艰难的民主党联邦参议员候选人格雷厄姆·普拉特纳于周三暂停竞选活动，此前该州、华盛顿特区乃至全国的民主党高层纷纷要求他立即退选，相关争议也愈演愈烈。
普拉特纳是一名平民主义民主党人，去年9月得到进步派领袖、佛蒙特州无党派参议员伯尼·桑德斯的支持。他正挑战长期在任的共和党参议员苏珊·柯林斯，这场缅因州的选战备受关注、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保住参议院微弱多数席位的州之一，今年11月将举行中期选举。
“为了这场运动能够继续，这不能是我个人的事。正因如此，我们将暂停竞选运作。”普拉特纳在社交媒体发布的视频中说道。
普拉特纳退选的时间点距关键截止日期仅五天，若他错过该截止日期，缅因州民主党将无法更换候选人，将普拉特纳的名字从大选选票上移除。
他暂停竞选活动的一个月前，普拉特纳在6月9日的缅因州民主党联邦参议员初选中以压倒性优势获胜，但就在周一下午发布爆炸性报道的两天后，一名曾与其交往的女性提出了强奸指控。
丑闻缠身的普拉特纳不顾争议不断，仍拿下民主党参议院提名
民主党联邦参议员候选人格雷厄姆·普拉特纳6月9日在缅因州布鲁因希尔的初选活动上发表讲话。（CJ·京特/盖蒂图片社）
面对这些指控，情绪明显激动的普拉特纳怒斥：“这全都是假的。那些声称发生过的事情从未发生过。这不是真的。”
普拉特纳近一年来以局外人、反建制的形象开展竞选活动，他将矛头指向政治阶层，称：“残酷的政治现实是，他们会从我们手中夺走一切。”
普拉特纳表示，如果他继续参选，将无法筹集资金，也无法获取关键的选民数据，而这两点是任何竞选活动必不可少的要素。
“那些有权势的人正借此为借口，夺走我们开展竞选所需的一切。”他指责道。
参议院民主党领袖查克·舒默在普拉特纳宣布退选后，在X平台上发帖称：“民主党将击败苏珊·柯林斯，拿下缅因州席位，夺回参议院多数党地位。”
这位海军陆战队退伍军人兼牡蛎养殖户在春季几乎锁定了民主党提名，此前曾得到舒默和民主党建制派支持的两任州长珍妮特·米尔斯在筹款和民调中大幅落后于普拉特纳，随后退出了竞选。
缅因州两任民主党州长珍妮特·米尔斯因民调和筹款表现均落后于格雷厄姆·普拉特纳，于春季退出2026年参议院竞选。（盖蒂图片社）
普拉特纳暂停竞选活动之际，距缅因州州法规定的候选人退选截止日期——7月13日周一下午5点——仅剩不到两天时间。
由于普拉特纳在截止日期前退选，缅因州民主党将能够更换大选选票上的候选人。该党需在7月27日前选出新的提名候选人。
缅因州民主党周二晚间发布惊人声明称，该党官员正“昼夜不停”地制定替换候选人的流程，但同时指责普拉特纳及其团队试图“操纵这一流程”。
普拉特纳的团队回应称，他们已与民主党方面取得联系，并否认试图“干预流程”。
就在普拉特纳宣布退选的几小时前，缅因州民主党宣布，如果普拉特纳退选，该党将举行提名大会，选出新的联邦参议员候选人。
普拉特纳似乎对此并不满意，他在视频中表示：“接下来的人选应该来自人民。应该来自缅因州的人民。应该来自那些在6月9日……对这种政治说不的选民。他们投票支持真正能代表他们的政治，反对现有政治体系，反对捐款阶层，反对根深蒂固的势力。”
“我不会过问这个流程将如何运作，也不会试图指挥任何人应该怎么做，或是我们该如何达成目标。”他强调，“但我要说明，这个流程必须公开、透明且民主。必须反映出推动这场运动的人民的意愿和价值观，反映出6月9日到场投票的民众的意愿和价值观。华盛顿的人应该待在华盛顿。政治权力阶层不应该在密室里做出决定。”
2026年5月24日，佛蒙特州无党派参议员伯尼·桑德斯与民主党联邦参议员候选人格雷厄姆·普拉特纳在缅因州奥罗诺市缅因大学柯林斯艺术中心举行的“对抗寡头政治”巡回活动上同台亮相。（乔·拉德尔/盖蒂图片社）
导致普拉特纳退选的指控来自41岁的缅因州居民珍妮·拉西科特，她在接受美国有线电视新闻网主持人杰克·塔珀采访时表示，按照字典定义，普拉特纳“强奸”了她。
“我当时就想，这个男人喝醉了，按照字典定义，他强奸了我。而他却在指责醉酒女性。”拉西科特说，“所以我觉得他的这种说辞非常奇怪。我还觉得，结合他所有关于女性、性侵犯、强奸的言论——甚至包括《纽约时报》报道中提到的他威胁要强奸他人的言论——为什么这个人的人生和言论中会有这种问题，挥之不去？”
拉西科特还在接受《政客》杂志的三次采访中表示，五年前普拉特纳违背她的意愿强迫她发生性关系，普拉特纳在《政客》的报道中否认了这一说法。报道还称，拉西科特之后交往的一名男性证实，她曾向自己提及此事，拉西科特与治疗师的电子邮件也佐证了这一点。
“我记得他抓住我的骨盆，对我非常粗暴。”拉西科特向该媒体回忆了这起据称发生在普拉特纳“几乎烂醉如泥”时的事件，“我清楚地记得那一刻，我心里在想，‘这不再是我的选择了’。”
拉西科特指控普拉特纳未经邀请进入她的家中，尽管她多次要求他停止，仍强迫她发生无保护措施的性行为。
民主党在缅因州的推定联邦参议员候选人格雷厄姆·普拉特纳5月11日在埃尔斯沃思举行能源活动。（保罗·斯坦豪泽/福克斯新闻）
拉西科特在报道中表示，她“迟迟不愿站出来”的原因之一，是她“内心存在巨大的道德冲突”——一方面支持普拉特纳的政治立场，另一方面又不认可他“作为一个人的品行”。
“我只是想让真相大白。”拉西科特说，“我只是想让人们全面了解他这个人到底是什么样的。”
普拉特纳在给《政客》的声明中表示：“这些指控令人不安、性质严重且纯属虚假。任何关于非自愿行为的指控都是绝对不真实的。”
普拉特纳的竞选团队在《政客》的报道发布后不久，也在X平台上发布了一段视频，普拉特纳在视频中再次称指控是“虚假的”，并表示他将“反思”未来的最佳选择。
“因此，无论报道多么不准确，但考虑到它将带来的政治现实，我们将花时间反思对我所热爱的州、我所热爱的人民、我所归属的运动以及击败苏珊·柯林斯的目标而言，什么才是最佳的前进道路。”普拉特纳在视频中说道，“这是我们启动这场竞选时的目标，时至今日，这依然是我的目标。”
普拉特纳周二又面临第二起爆炸性的性行为不端指控。《华盛顿邮报》发布的报道称，普拉特纳被指控在与前女友林赛·法菲尔德发生性关系时，未按她明确要求的那样佩戴避孕套。
41岁的法菲尔德此前曾指控普拉特纳在两人交往期间存在肢体暴力行为，称他有时会用力抓她，导致身上留下痕迹，还有一次他将她的手臂扭到背后，将她推到卧室里并锁住门，直到她“冷静下来”。
普拉特纳的竞选团队在给《华盛顿邮报》的声明中称，法菲尔德的最新指控“纯属虚假且带有政治动机”，并指出她曾为保守派智库传统基金会工作。
而在周三晚间的视频中，普拉特纳重申，他暂停竞选“并非因为这些指控。我们这么做是因为那些当权者正从我们手中夺走我们的竞选运作架构”。
普拉特纳抨击的政党组织之一——民主党参议院竞选委员会（DSCC）在声明中承诺，将“不知疲倦地确保新的民主党候选人拥有基础设施和资源，能够立即将精力投入到大选活动中，并且在11月我们将击败苏珊·柯林斯，赢得参议院多数席位”。
与此同时，共和党人在普拉特纳宣布退选后迅速发起攻击。
“缅因州民主党选出了一名强奸犯纳粹作为他们的参议院候选人，无论他们接下来提名谁，苏珊·柯林斯都将在11月连任。”全国共和党参议员委员会地区新闻秘书萨曼莎·坎特雷尔在声明中指责道。
参议院共和党关联的超级政治行动委员会“参议院领导基金”执行主任亚历克斯·拉查姆辩称，“在最后关头，民主党建制派为了挽救他们失败的中期选举策略，不惜操纵程序、牺牲缅因州选民的利益。无论华盛顿民主党人安插谁，苏珊·柯林斯参议员都将在11月赢得选举。”
宾夕法尼亚州温和派民主党参议员约翰·费特曼是普拉特纳的直言不讳的批评者，他周三晚间在福克斯新闻频道《杰西·沃特斯黄金档》节目中接受采访时表示：“垃圾自己滚了。”
在普拉特纳即将获得提名之际，过去几个月里他不得不为多起争议辩护，这些争议玷污了他初选竞选的最后阶段，也掩盖了他的胜选成果。
他此前在一个已删除的Reddit账号上发布的煽动性网络评论再次浮出水面，与此同时，人们还发现他胸前有一个被遮盖的纹身，外形酷似纳粹标志。随后有报道称，普拉特纳在已婚期间与多名女性发送露骨的性信息，紧接着又有前女友指控他存在强奸幻想、酗酒和暴力行为的历史。
普拉特纳一再否认有关暴力行为的指控。
上个月初选前一天，普拉特纳竞选团队的一名前高级幕僚在《华盛顿邮报》的专栏文章中写道，普拉特纳“不是一个对缅因州或国家有益的人”。
不断升级的争议引发了广泛关注，为共和党提供了更多攻击他的弹药，也促使华盛顿的一些民主党人士质疑普拉特纳是否已是“败选坯子”。
但这些指控并未阻止他凭借平民主义浪潮拿下提名。
2026年民主选举：关注福克斯新闻选举中心获取最新动态
民主党联邦参议员候选人格雷厄姆·普拉特纳与妻子艾米·格特纳6月9日抵达缅因州布鲁因希尔的初选活动现场，向支持者挥手致意。（CJ·京特/盖蒂图片社）
普拉特纳承认自己曾患有创伤后应激障碍（PTSD），他曾在海军陆战队参加过三次伊拉克战争部署，还在陆军国民警卫队参加过一次阿富汗部署。去年秋天他启动参议院竞选后，部分有争议的Reddit评论登上头条，他为此道歉。
普拉特纳表示，他的骷髅头交叉骨纹身是2007年与驻扎在克罗地亚的海军陆战队战友喝酒时纹的。他说，去年得知该纹身外形酷似纳粹标志后，就用新图案遮盖了它。
但一名前女友的指控让人对普拉特纳知晓该纹身的时间线产生了质疑。
在初选之夜的胜选演讲中，普拉特纳强调自己已经脱胎换骨。
“如果你和我一样相信，我们可以改变政治格局，改变这个国家，那么你也必须相信人是可以改变的。”普拉特纳对人群说道，“我之所以相信这一点，是因为我亲身经历过改变。而我之所以能做到这一点，都是因为我的妻子。”
决定参议院多数席位的十大关键竞选
普拉特纳可能退选的传言于上周末开始流传，因为他的多场活动在没有官方解释的情况下被取消。《班戈每日新闻》周一报道称，一名活动组织者表示，活动取消是因为普拉特纳“身体不适”。
活动取消的消息引发保守派媒体和评论员猜测，取消活动背后是否另有隐情，或是他的竞选活动即将走到尽头。
缅因州共和党参议员苏珊·柯林斯2月10日在华盛顿特区接受福克斯新闻数字频道采访。（保罗·斯坦豪泽/福克斯新闻）
柯林斯在声明中表示：“这些指控令人发指。尽管如此，选择民主党参议院候选人并非我的职责。”
周一下午到晚间，越来越多的民主党高层呼吁普拉特纳退出竞选。
舒默称《政客》报道中的指控“令人极其不安——暴力、虐待和性侵犯绝对不可接受”。
舒默与民主党参议院竞选委员会主席、参议员柯尔斯滕·吉利布兰德共同发表声明称：“格雷厄姆·普拉特纳需要立即退出民主党联邦参议员提名候选人的竞选，让缅因州民主党有机会选出能够击败苏珊·柯林斯的新候选人。如果普拉特纳仍留在选票上，民主党参议院竞选委员会将不会在缅因州参议院竞选中投入资金。”
与舒默关联的参议院民主党现任议员及候选人顶级超级政治行动委员会“参议院多数党基金”表示，“鉴于针对格雷厄姆·普拉特纳的最新指控，我们将调整资源，不再投入缅因州参议院竞选”。
缅因州民主党领导层在声明中表示，该党“呼吁格雷厄姆·普拉特纳退出美国参议院候选人的提名”。
普拉特纳在国会的主要支持者之一、加利福尼亚州众议员罗·卡纳撤销了对他的支持。
“我一直明确表示，针对女性的性侵犯或暴力行为是不可逾越的红线。这些指控非常严重且可信。格雷厄姆·普拉特纳应该退出竞选。我撤回对他的支持。”卡纳在社交媒体帖子中写道。
卡纳是众议院的顶尖进步派领袖，他在初选前几天与普拉特纳一起在缅因州竞选时告诉福克斯新闻数字频道，他“担心我们需要明确表明我们反对厌女症，那些关系是有毒且不稳定的，没有任何借口可以为其开脱”。
“我和格雷厄姆谈过，他说他当时正处于非常黑暗的时期。他作为步兵从两次伊拉克部署归来，目睹了暴力和死亡。但这不能成为借口。”卡纳上个月说道。
周一同样撤销对普拉特纳支持的还有亚利桑那州民主党参议员鲁文·加列戈，他与卡纳都被视为2028年总统竞选的潜在候选人。
“针对格雷厄姆·普拉特纳的指控令人不安且性质极其严重。”加列戈在X平台上写道，“我撤回我的支持。”
此前曾公开支持普拉特纳并与他同台亮相的马萨诸塞州民主党参议员伊丽莎白·沃伦也撤销了支持。
由桑德斯创立的进步派政治行动组织“我们的革命”宣布撤销对普拉特纳的支持。
周二，桑德斯发表声明。
“我已与格雷厄姆·普拉特纳谈过，探讨了缅因州的最佳前进道路。鉴于这些非常严重的指控，我建议他退选。”这位参议员写道。
订阅获取政治新闻简报
普拉特纳去年8月启动联邦参议员竞选后，迅速吸引了大批民众支持，并在今年早些时候建立了可观的筹款储备，这在一定程度上得益于桑德斯的早期支持以及候选人在竞选活动中的不懈努力。
上月进行的两项民调显示，大选竞争势均力敌。福克斯新闻的民调显示柯林斯领先三个百分点，而《纽约时报》/锡耶纳学院的民调则显示普拉特纳领先两个百分点。
但击败柯林斯并非易事。六年前，民调显示这位参议员即将败选，但柯林斯打破预期，以九个百分点的优势击败当时的民主党州众议院议长萨拉·吉迪恩成功连任。
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柯林斯是一名温和派共和党人，有时会投票反对唐纳德·特朗普总统的议程，此次她将竞选第六个六年任期的参议院席位。
目前共和党以53票对47票掌控参议院，拿下倾向民主党的缅因州的参议院席位，是民主党夺回多数席位的关键一步。
福克斯新闻的奥利维亚·帕隆博和马修·多内尔对本文亦有贡献
保罗·斯坦豪泽为福克斯新闻报道遍及全美的全国竞选活动
Platner drops out of crucial Senate race after bombshell rape allegation torpedoes campaign
2026-07-08T20:17:21-04:00 / Fox News
Platner’s withdrawal clears the way for Maine Democrats to name a new challenger to Republican Sen Susan Collins
By Paul Steinhauser , Andrew Mark Miller , Alexis McAdams , Jessica Sonkin Fox News
Published July 8, 2026 8:17pm EDT | Updated July 8, 2026 8:33pm EDT
Graham Platner announced Wednesday that he is dropping out of the Maine Senate race after an ex-girlfriend accused him of rape. He denied the allegation. (Credit: Graham Platner via X)
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Graham Platner, the embattled Democratic Senate nominee in Maine, suspended his campaign on Wednesday amid mounting controversies and growing calls from top Democrats in his home state, in the nation’s capital, and across the country for him to immediately quit the race.
Platner, a populist Democrat backed last September by progressive champion Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., was challenging longtime Republican Sen. Susan Collins in a high-profile, combustible and 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.
“For the movement to continue, it can’t be me. For that reason, we are suspending campaign operations,” Platner said in a video posted to social media.
Platner’s exit from the race comes five days before a crucial deadline, which, if he had missed, would have prevented Maine Democrats from replacing him with a new nominee on the general election ballot.
The suspension of his campaign took place one month after Platner won a landslide victory in Maine’s June 9 Democratic Senate primary, but just two days after an explosive report on Monday afternoon contained an allegation of rape from a woman he previously dated.
SCANDAL-PLAGUED PLATNER CAPTURES DEMOCRATIC SENATE NOMINATION DESPITE MOUNTING CONTROVERSIES
Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner speaks at his primary election event in Blue Hill, Maine, on June 9.(CJ Gunther/Getty Images)
Addressing those allegations, a visibly irritated Platner charged, “This is all false. The things that have been claimed did not happen. It is not real.”
And Platner, who has run an outsider, anti-establishment campaign for nearly a year, pointed to the political class and argued, “the brutal political reality is they are going to take everything away from us.”
Platner said that if he continued his bid, he’d lose the ability to raise money and access crucial voter data, essential elements to any campaign.
“Those in power who have the ability to do so are using these allegations as an excuse to take away all the things that we need to run a campaign,” he charged.
Longtime Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, following Platner’s announcement, said in a post on X, “Democrats are going to defeat Susan Collins, win Maine, and take back the Senate.”
The Marine Corps combat veteran and oyster farmer became the all-but-certain party nominee in the spring, after two-term Gov. Janet Mills, who had been backed by Schumer and the Democratic establishment, suspended her bid after significantly trailing Platner in fundraising and polling.
Two-term Democratic Gov. Janet Mills of Maine ended her 2026 Senate bid in the spring after trailing Graham Platner in public opinion polling and fundraising.(Getty Images)
Platner’s suspension of his campaign comes ahead of a 5 p.m. deadline on Monday, July 13, set by state law, for candidates to withdraw from the race.
Since Platner dropped out ahead of the deadline, the Maine Democratic Party will be able to replace him on the general election ballot. The party needs to select a new nominee by July 27.
The Maine Democratic Party on Tuesday night, in a stunning announcement, said that party officials were working “around the clock” to determine a replacement process, but claimed that Platner and his team were trying “to put their thumb on the scale of what this process looks like.”
Platner’s team, responding, said they had reached out to the party but denied they were trying to put any “finger on the scale.”
A couple of hours before Platner dropped out, the state party announced it would hold a nominating convention to choose a new Senate nominee, if Platner were to exit the race.
That didn’t appear to sit well with Platner, who in his video said, “What comes next needs to come from the people. Needs to come from the people of Maine. Needs to come from the voters who on June 9….said no to this kind of politics. Voted for a politics that would actually represent them. Vote against the political system. Against the donor class. Against the entrenched forces.”
“I’m not asking for how this process is going to work. I’m not trying to dictate to anyone how it should be or how we get there,” he emphasized. “But I will say this, it needs to be open, transparent, and democratic. It needs to be reflective of the will and the values of the people that built this movement, the people that showed up on June 9. People in DC should stay in DC. Decisions should not be made in backrooms by people in places of political power.”
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner stood together during a “Fighting Oligarchy” tour stop at the Collins Center for the Arts on the University of Maine campus on May 24, 2026, in Orono, Maine.(Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
The allegation that triggered Platner’s exit from the race came from Maine resident Jenny Racicot, 41, who told CNN’s Jake Tapper that “by dictionary definition” Platner “raped” her.
“I thought, here’s a man who was drunk and who, by dictionary definition, raped me. And he’s blaming drunk women,” Racicot said. “So I just felt like that was a very odd take to have on that. And I also feel like with all of the comments that he made about women, sexual assault, rape, even, um, you know, the comments that he had made that was in The New York Times article about, you know, threatening people with rape, like, why does this person have this issue, like scattered throughout their life, throughout their commentary, like it‘s on their mind?”
Racicot also said over the course of three interviews with Politico that Platner forced her to have sex five years ago against her will, a claim that Platner denied in the Politico story. Additionally, the report says that a man Racicot dated afterward confirmed she had told him about the incident, which was also corroborated by emails between Racicot and her therapist.
“I remember him grabbing my pelvis and being really forceful of me,” Racicot told the outlet about the incident, which allegedly took place while Platner was “almost blackout drunk.” “I remember the specific moment where I thought to myself, like, ‘This is no longer my choice.’”
Racicot alleged that Platner entered her home uninvited and forced her to have unprotected sex despite her telling him to stop multiple times.
Graham Platner, the Democrats’ presumptive Senate nominee in Maine, holds an energy event in Ellsworth on May 11.(Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)
Racicot said in the report that “one of the reasons” she didn’t come forward until now was the “huge moral conflict” she had between her support of Platner’s politics and not supporting him “as a person.”
“I just want the truth out there,” Racicot said. “I just want people to have a whole scope of who he is as a person.”
In a statement to Politico, Platner said, “These allegations are troubling, serious, and false. Any accusation of non-consensual behavior is categorically untrue.”
The Platner campaign also posted a video on X shortly after the Politico story published where Platner again called the allegations “false” and that he was going to “reflect” on the best path forward.
“So, regardless of the inaccuracy of the reporting, but mindful the political reality it will inflict, we are taking the time to reflect on the best path forward for the state that I love, the people that I love, the movement I belong to, and the goal of defeating Susan Collins,” Platner says in the video. “Those were the goals when we launched this campaign, and they remain my goals today.”
Platner was hit with a second explosive allegation of sexual impropriety on Tuesday. In a report published by The Washington Post, Platner was accused of removing condoms during sex with his ex-girlfriend Lyndsey Fifield after she explicitly directed him to wear them.
Fifield, 41, previously accused Platner of physical misconduct during their relationship, saying that he sometimes grabbed her hard enough to leave marks on her body and that one time he twisted her arm around her back, pushed her into a bedroom and held the door shut until she “calmed down.”
In a statement to The Washington Post, the Platner campaign said that Fifield’s latest allegations were “categorically false and politically motivated,” as they pointed to her previous work for the conservative Heritage Foundation.
And in his Wednesday night video, Platner reiterated that he wasn’t suspending his campaign “because of allegations. We’re doing it because of structures that are being taken away from us by those in power.”
One of the party organizations Platner railed against, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC), pledged in a statement that it would “work tirelessly to ensure the new Democratic nominee has the infrastructure and resources to immediately turn their focus to the general election, and in November we will defeat Susan Collins and win a Senate majority.”
Meanwhile, Republicans quickly pounced after Platner’s announcement.
“Maine Democrats elected a rapist Nazi to be their nominee for Senate, and regardless of who they anoint next, Susan Collins will be re-elected in November,”National Republican Senatorial Committee Regional Press Secretary Samantha Cantrell charged in a statement.
Alex Latcham, executive director of the Senate GOP-aligned super PAC Senate Leadership Fund, argued that “at the 11th hour, the Democrat Establishment has tipped the scales against Maine voters in an attempt to salvage their failing midterm strategy. Regardless of who Washington Democrats install, Senator Susan Collins will win in November.”
Moderate Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, a vocal Platner critic, said in an interview Wednesday night on Fox News’ “Jesse Watters Primetime” that “the trash took itself out tonight.”
As he moved towards capturing the nomination, Platner was forced to play defense the past couple of months amid multiple controversies that muddied the final days of his primary campaign and overshadowed his victory.
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.
Platner repeatedly called the allegations of violence untrue.
A day before the primary last month, a former high-level staffer from the Platner campaign wrote in a Washington Post op/ed that Platner “is not someone who would be good for Maine or for the country.”
The mounting controversies grabbed plenty of attention, gave Republicans more ammunition to use against him and triggered some Democrats in the nation’s capital to question whether Platner was damaged goods.
But the allegations didn’t stop him from riding a populist wave to capture the nomination.
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Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner and his wife, Amy Gertner, wave to supporters as they arrive at Platner’s primary election event in Blue Hill, Maine, on June 9.(CJ Gunther/Getty Images)
Platner, who had acknowledged his battle with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) from his three tours of duty in the war in Iraq with the Marines and one tour with the Army National Guard in Afghanistan, apologized for his controversial Reddit posts after some of them made headlines last fall soon after he launched his Senate campaign.
And Platner said he got the skull and crossbones tattoo in 2007, while drinking with fellow Marines stationed in Croatia. He said that he covered up the tattoo with a new design after learning last year that it resembled a Nazi symbol.
But allegations from an ex-girlfriend raised questions about Platner’s timeline regarding knowledge of the tattoo.
In his primary night victory speech, Platner emphasized that he was a changed man.
“If you believe, as I do, that we can change our politics and change our country, then you must also believe that people can change,” Platner told the crowd. “And the reason I believe that is because I have lived it. And the reason that I have lived it is because of my wife.”
THE TEN RACES THAT WILL DETERMINE THE SENATE’S MAJORITY
Rumors about Platner potentially dropping out started swirling this past weekend, as multiple events by the candidate were canceled without an official explanation. The Bangor Daily News reported on Monday that one organizer said an event was canceled due to Platner “not feeling well.”
The news of the canceled events led conservative outlets and pundits to speculate whether there was an underlying reason for the cancelations or an impending end to his campaign.
Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine stands for an interview with Fox News Digital, Feb. 10, in Washington, D.C.(Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)
Collins said in a statement, “These allegations are appalling. Nevertheless, it is not up to me to choose the Democratic nominee for Senate.”
As Monday afternoon turned into Monday evening, a growing chorus of leading Democrats called on Platner to quit the race.
Schumer called the allegations in the Politico report “incredibly disturbing – violence, abuse and sexual assault are absolutely unacceptable.”
In a statement with DSCC Chair Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, Schumer emphasized, “Graham Platner needs to immediately withdraw as the Democratic nominee for Senate and allow Maine Democrats the opportunity to choose a new candidate who can defeat Susan Collins. The DSCC will not invest in the Maine Senate race if Platner remains on the ballot.”
Senate Majority PAC, the Schumer-aligned top super PAC backing Senate Democratic incumbents and candidates, said it was “redirecting resources away from the Maine Senate race in light of the latest allegations against Graham Platner.”
The leadership of the Maine Democratic Party, in a statement, said it “is calling Graham Platner to withdraw as the Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate.”
One of Platner’s top supporters in Congress, Rep. Ro Khanna of California, rescinded his endorsement.
“I’ve been very clear that sexual assault or violence against women is a red line. These allegations are very serious and credible. Graham Platner should drop out from the race. I am withdrawing my endorsement,” Khanna wrote in a social media post.
Khanna, a top progressive leader in the House, told Fox News Digital as he campaigned with Platner in Maine days ahead of the primary that he was “concerned about making it clear that we’re opposed to misogyny, those relationships were toxic and volatile, there’s no excuse for that.”
“I talked to Graham, and he says he was at a very dark period. He had come back from two tours of duty in Iraq as an infantryman seeing violence and death. That doesn’t excuse it,” Khanna said last month.
Also dropping their endorsement on Monday was Democratic Sen. Ruben Gallego of Arizona, who along with Khanna is considered a potential 2028 White House hopeful.
“The allegations against Graham Platner are troubling and deeply serious,” Gallego wrote on X. “I am rescinding my endorsement.”
So did progressive champion Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, who had endorsed and appeared with Platner.
Our Revolution, a progressive political action organization founded by Sanders, announced it was withdrawing its endorsement of Platner.
On Tuesday, Sanders put out a statement.
“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 senator wrote.
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Platner, who launched his bid for U.S. Senate last August, quickly started drawing large crowds and built a healthy fundraising war chest earlier this year, thanks, in part, to Sanders’ early support and the candidate’s tireless efforts on the trail.
Two polls conducted late last month indicated a close general election contest. A Fox News poll gave Collins a three-point edge, while a New York Times/Siena survey indicated Platner holding a two-point margin.
But beating Collins hasn’t been easy. Six years ago, public opinion polls indicated the senator was headed to defeat, but Collins defied expectations and won re-election by defeating then-Democratic state House Speaker Sara Gideon by nine points.
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Collins, a moderate Republican who at times votes against President Donald Trump’s agenda, is running for a sixth six-year term in the Senate.
Republicans currently control the chamber 53-47 and flipping the Senate seat in left-leaning Maine is a key part of the Democrats’ path to retake the majority.
Fox News’ Olivia Palombo and Matthew Donnell contributed to this report
Paul Steinhauser covers the national campaign trail from coast to coast for Fox News
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