{"id":372,"date":"2026-07-07T22:36:36","date_gmt":"2026-07-07T22:36:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/homemovechronicle.com\/?p=372"},"modified":"2026-07-07T22:36:36","modified_gmt":"2026-07-07T22:36:36","slug":"is-this-the-end-for-graham-platner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/homemovechronicle.com\/?p=372","title":{"rendered":"Is This the End for Graham Platner?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Last year, at one of Graham Platner\u2019s early rallies as a candidate for U.S. Senate, the gruff oysterman opened with a joke. \u201cUntil recently,\u201d he told the crowd, \u201cI thought that harbormaster of Sullivan, Maine, was going to be the extent of my political career.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Brett Kavanaugh\u2019s Anti-Trans Ruling Takes a New and Disturbing Turn<\/a><\/p>\n

It turns out he may have been right. After weathering a welter of scandals to win the Democratic nomination, Platner is now facing widespread calls to drop out after an ex-girlfriend accused him of sexual assault. Today we\u2019ll explain the fallout\u2014and what it means for a race that could decide Senate control.<\/p>\n

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Rewind. Who\u2019s this guy, again?<\/strong>
Platner is an oyster farmer, Marine Corps veteran, and first-time candidate. A bearded, tattooed, flannel-wearing political newcomer with a gravelly voice and workingman\u2019s affect, he seemed poised to finally realize Democrats\u2019 dream of unseating Susan Collins, Maine\u2019s invincible-seeming Republican senator. Platner, who campaigned alongside Sen. Bernie Sanders and supports Medicare for All, also seemed to embody the theory that unabashed economic progressivism could win back disaffected voters who have abandoned Democrats.<\/p>\n

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I seem to recall some ugly headlines about him before now \u2026<\/strong>
Good memory. The left-wing operatives who recruited Platner did little to vet their candidate, who turns out to have a long history of troubling behavior. As a Marine, Platner drunkenly got a tattoo that resembles a Nazi symbol. In Reddit posts, he downplayed sexual assault, used homophobic slurs, and called rural Mainers racist and stupid. Former girlfriends described conduct that bordered on domestic violence, including forceful grabbing and physical intimidation. Platner\u2019s campaign also admitted that he sexted with multiple women after marrying his wife in 2023. Even his working-class credentials came under attack; the scion of a well-heeled family, Platner attended boarding school and got $200,000 from his dad to buy a house. But Platner has repeatedly denied wrongdoing, proclaiming himself a changed man. He easily won the primary last month.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s the latest controversy, and how are Democrats reacting?<\/strong>
A Maine Democrat named Jenny Racicot, who dated Platner off and on, told Politico that he entered her house uninvited and raped her while blackout drunk in 2021. That story, published Monday, was too much even for his staunchest backers. Now, Jill Filipovic writes for Slate, Democrats \u201care almost universally calling for Platner to drop out.\u201d Members of Congress have rescinded their endorsements, and ideological allies like Sanders and New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani have urged him to step aside. Platner, who denies Racicot\u2019s accusations, says he\u2019s \u201ctaking the time to reflect on the best path forward.\u201d (On Tuesday, a different<\/em> Platner ex alleged that he repeatedly removed condoms during sex without her consent, which Platner also denied.)<\/p>\n

\u201cTime to reflect\u201d sounds like politician-speak for \u201cI\u2019m going to drop out.\u201d Can anybody replace him?<\/strong>
If Platner withdraws by Monday, the state\u2019s Democratic Party can choose a new nominee who will appear on November ballots instead. But under Maine law, the party has only two weeks to pick, and there\u2019s no formal process. As my colleague Jim Newell explains, the scramble recalls Democrats\u2019 efforts to replace Joe Biden in 2024, but with even more of a time crunch and similarly high stakes: If Democrats hope to retake the Senate, they almost certainly have to beat Collins, who has a survivalist\u2019s track record despite Maine\u2019s blue lean. Party officials are reportedly talking about holding a statewide caucus or mini-convention to choose a replacement.<\/p>\n

OK, but who?\u00a0<\/strong>
Several contenders are already signaling interest. They include two Democrats who just lost the primary for Maine governor: Troy Jackson, a Sanders-endorsed state lawmaker, and Nirav Shah, a former Biden CDC official. But while Platner may be down, he\u2019s not out. As of this morning, per NBC News, Platner hadn\u2019t decided whether to drop out; if he does, he believes he can influence the party to pick an ideologically similar replacement. However! Jackson and other progressives repeatedly campaigned with and defended Platner, which Collins would surely seek to exploit. So even if he\u2019s swapped out, Platner\u2019s days of causing headaches for Dems may not be over.<\/p>\n

Read more Who Could Replace Graham Platner?<\/a><\/p>\n

Now that you\u2019re all caught up, let\u2019s switch gears. To help you kick back, I\u2019d humbly suggest:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Infowars (the Onion\u2019s version):<\/strong> After a two-year legal battle, the Onion has relaunched the conspiracy website Infowars with its own unhinged, parodic spin. Slate\u2019s Lizzie O\u2019Leary speaks with creative director, comedian, and chief Alex Jones impersonator Tim Heidecker about what\u2019s next for the site.<\/p>\n

A close read of a surprising celebrity choice:<\/strong> My colleague Christina Cauterucci\u2014who\u2019s written many a thoughtful and hilarious essay about public figures\u2019 aesthetic choices\u2014turns her attention to Taylor Swift\u2019s unexpected choice of wedding-dress designer.<\/p>\n

An engrossing true-crime story:<\/strong> In 1975, a bomb went off in LaGuardia Airport, killing 11 people and injuring 75. Investigators interviewed thousands and pursued leads in 38 states and three countries but came up empty. It was one of the greatest cold cases of the past 125 years\u2014so why hasn\u2019t anyone heard of it? Elon Green weaves the mystery\u2019s disparate threads into a single, unforgettable narrative.<\/p>\n

Some post-U.S. World Cup:<\/strong> Welp, despite Trump\u2019s best efforts, Belgium knocked the U.S. out of the tournament in a decisive 4\u20131 drubbing last night. But you can still watch a sizzle reel of Argentina defeating Egypt and follow Switzerland vs. Colombia, which started at 4 Eastern.<\/p>\n

Before I go, a quick correction:<\/strong> Speaking of the World Cup, I made a mistake in yesterday\u2019s newsletter. The U.S. made history last week by winning a knockout-round game for the first time in decades, not by advancing to the round of 16 for the first time in decades. Soccer fans, please accept my apologies!<\/p>\n

Read more Graham Platner\u2019s Long List of Bad Choices<\/a><\/p>\n

And with that, you\u2019re free! Have a great rest of your night.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Maine Democrat may have met a scandal he can\u2019t beat.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":371,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[158],"tags":[50,107,45,115],"class_list":["post-372","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-slatest","tag-democrats","tag-maine","tag-senate","tag-susan-collins"],"yoast_head":"\nIs This the End for Graham Platner? - Home Move Chronicle<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/homemovechronicle.com\/?p=372\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Is This the End for Graham Platner? - Home Move Chronicle\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Maine Democrat may have met a scandal he can\u2019t beat.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/homemovechronicle.com\/?p=372\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Home Move Chronicle\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-07T22:36:36+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homemovechronicle.com\\\/?p=372#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homemovechronicle.com\\\/?p=372\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homemovechronicle.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/75d86f25dbb870f24983ccc831d1ec4e\"},\"headline\":\"Is This the End for Graham Platner?\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-07T22:36:36+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homemovechronicle.com\\\/?p=372\"},\"wordCount\":1016,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homemovechronicle.com\\\/?p=372#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homemovechronicle.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/f652868d241f0d049809fb6d8a0ae3fd.avif\",\"keywords\":[\"Democrats\",\"Maine\",\"Senate\",\"Susan Collins\"],\"articleSection\":[\"The Slatest\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/homemovechronicle.com\\\/?p=372#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homemovechronicle.com\\\/?p=372\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homemovechronicle.com\\\/?p=372\",\"name\":\"Is This the End for Graham Platner? 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