By Hannah Parry and Andrew Stanton

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Graham Platner has formally withdrawn from the race for the U.S. Senate seat for Maine .

Maine's Senate, one of the most competitive of the 2026 midterm elections, was upended after sexual assault allegations were made against Platner, the Democratic nominee and a progressive newcomer. Platner has denied any wrongdoing but ended his campaign after losing support from his core supporters. Under state law, Democrats now have an opportunity to select a new nominee to face off against longtime Republican Senator Susan Collins in November.

Platner Formally Withdraws: What to Know

In a letter to the Secretary of State’s Office, which he shared on X, Platner said he hopes his withdrawal will "further the movement we have built together and the future that we believe in."

"My name may have been on the ballot, but that ballot line belongs to the people of Maine. As such, please consider this notice as my official withdrawal from consideration for this office."

The Secretary of State’s Office today confirmed that a formal notice had been received and said that his name will not appear on the ballot.

The letter follows his announcement earlier this week, where he said in a video on X, “For the moment to continue, it can’t be me. For that reason, we are suspending campaign operations.”

The embattled Democrat added that it is "incredibly difficult," while saying that “We’re not doing it because of the allegations, we’re doing it because of the structures that are being taken away from us by those in power.”

Platner is facing multiple serious allegations, including an accusation of rape made by Jenny Racicot, who said that Platner had entered her home while intoxicated in late 2021 and forced her to have sex despite her repeated objections. She said the two had previously been involved in an on-and-off relationship and that the encounter was not consensual.

The aspiring senator strongly rejected the sexual assault allegation in an email to Newsweek on Tuesday, saying: "These allegations are troubling, serious, and false. Any accusation of non-consensual behavior is categorically untrue."

The controversy deepened Tuesday evening when The Washington Post reported that a former girlfriend had accused Platner of removing a condom during sex without her consent, another claim denied by Platner.

Who Is Running to Replace Graham Platner?

Several prominent Maine Democrats have jumped into the race to replace Platner, including former Maine Senate President Troy Jackson, Secretary of State Shenna Bellows and former Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention Director Nirav Shah. They are viewed as the leading candidates ahead of the new nomination process.

But others have also jumped into the race, including Maine Beer Company founder Dan Kleban, former congressional and Senate candidate Jordan Wood, former Senate candidate David Costello, former write-in candidate Andrea LeFlamme and former congressional candidate Paige Loud.

The 10 Democrats Who Could Replace Graham Platner: What The Odds Show

State Representative Valli Geiger, who has been a close Platner ally, is viewed as a potential candidate.

Governor Janet Mills’ name has been floated, but she has not indicated whether she would be interested in running. She ran in the Democratic primary but withdrew before the primary.

Other known Democrats, including Representative Jared Golden, Senate President Mattie Daughtry and actor Patrick Dempsey, have taken their names out of consideration.

Jackson touted himself as the best candidate to carry forward the progressive movement in an interview with Newsweek.

"There’s a movement going on right now in Maine and across this country—people that are sick and tired of the government that we have in D.C., they don't want billionaires getting more tax breaks. They don't want people losing health insurance," he said. "I don't want that to end. That's what I've been fighting for my entire life. And when Graham drops out, I feel strongly that it has to continue and I'm the best one to make it continue."

How Will the New Nominee Be Chosen?

Under state law, Democrats have until July 27 to select a new nominee now that Platner is formally off the ballot. Maine Democrats have emphasized the importance of having an open, transparent process to select the new nominee.

The party said earlier this week they would be using a nominating convention, rather than a caucus, to select the new nominee. The state party has not provided more details about the exact number of delegates or how they will be chosen.

Some county committees have provided more details about how delegates may be chosen.

The Democratic committee for Cumberland County, home to Portland, wrote in a Facebook post it could have up to 150 delegates who would "participate in a mini-conventiony-style thing the following week to select our new Senate nominee." The Waldo County Democratic Committee said Thursday there will likely be an in-person convention on either July 25 or 26, "probably in Bangor," with 600 delegates.

There are some requirements for candidates, including that they will have to submit 500 signatures, with at least 50 signatures from no fewer than eight counties, the Maine Democrats wrote in their qualification rules. They can submit up to 1,000 signatures.

Hannah Pingree, the Democratic nominee in the gubernatorial race, said on Friday she will “remain neutral” in the race to select a new nominee, urging Democratic voters to stay engaged.

“I need somebody who’s going to be running with me statewide that will help us bring out Democrats and independents and Republicans who know that they want a change,” she said.

Who Is Leading the Race to Replace Graham Platner?

Prediction markets favor Jackson to become the nominee as of Friday . He is known as a progressive legislator and campaigned with Platner in the primary, but quickly called for his exit after the allegations were reported. He also had support from Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders in the primary when he ran for governor.

On Kalshi, he had a 60 percent chance of winning the nomination compared to Bellows’ 30 percent, Shah’s 4 percent, Kleban’s 3 percent and Wood's 2 percent as of Friday afternoon, shortly after Platner formally withdrew from the race.

Jackson's chances stood at 57 percent on Polymarket, with Bellows having a 33 percent chance, Shah a 6 percent chance and Wood a 2 percent chance.

On a CNN interview Friday, Wood said that Platner's allegations are "disqualifying," but that there is a "real motivation, a real conviction among the people here, good people, and want to give people that ability to transform to be better people." He said he has a "great deal of grace for the people of Maine," and that their heart is in the "right place."

"What we are facing right now is an emergency but a challenge to put forward the best candidate that we can in the short amount of period to defeat Susan Collins," he said. "How does that candidate carry on the agenda that was voted for in the primary?"

He said that he and Platner agree on many issues including aid to Israel and not taking corporate donations, but that Democrats must find a candidate who can "separate on a moral" basis.

Can a New Democrat Defeat Susan Collins? What Polls Show

New polling on Thursday pointed to a close race in the days after the Platner scandal broke.

The Z to A research poll found Shah leading Collins 47 percent to 46 percent and Collins leading Jackson 48 percent to 47 percent, while Collins and Bellows were both at 47 percent. It surveyed 988 Maine voters July 7-8 and had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.12 percentage points.

Another new poll from Public Policy Polling, commissioned by Platner’s campaign, found that Jackson would start with an advantage over Collins in a general election. He received support from 49 percent of respondents to Collins’ 44 percent, while 7 percent were undecided.

Bellows and Collins were tied at 47 percent, while Shah and Collins were tied at 45 percent, the poll found. Against Wood, Collins led 47 percent to 38 percent. The poll surveyed 785 Maine voters on Tuesday, just one day after the latest allegation against Platner surfaced.

Whoever wins the nomination will face challenges. They'll have to launch a new campaign from scratch to take on one of the most prolific overperformers in politics. Although leading candidates like Jackson and Bellows just ran for governor, they won't be able to use leftover funds for their Senate races, according to OpenSecrets. They'll be tasked with uniting the party, including some Platner supporters who have stuck with him in recent days, ahead of November.

Forecasters like the Cook Political Report view the race as a toss-up.

Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Hannah Parry and Gray R. Thomas

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