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Maine Democratic candidate for Senate, Graham Platner, campaigned on building a growing progressive coalition, but some of the key candidates running across the country have now turned their back on him.
Platner’s campaign against Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, was rocked on Monday after Politico’s report that the aspiring lawmaker allegedly raped an ex-girlfriend. Within hours of the allegation circulating, several high-profile candidates disavowed him and demanded he exit the race.
“The credible allegations against Graham Platner cannot be ignored — he should withdraw from the race immediately,” Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico said in a statement.
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Talarico and other Democratic Senate candidates pitching themselves as progressives, including Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan, former Rep. Mary Peltola in Alaska, former Sen. Sherrod Brown in Ohio and Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, all called on Platner to exit the race.
“Credible allegations of sexual assault cannot be ignored,” El-Sayed said. “Voters in Maine deserve a choice for U.S. Senate that doesn’t force them to make a moral compromise between sexual violence or corporate servitude.”
But it’s the first time the five Senate hopefuls have publicly admonished Platner after several scandals have dogged his campaign.
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Fox News Digital did not immediately hear back from each campaign on why each candidate opted to break with Platner now rather than after previous allegations, including the June report from The New York Times that the Maine candidate exhibited “unsettling” behavior with women that often revolved around alcohol and alleged intimidation.
Meanwhile, Platner has yet to withdraw from contention in a contest that Democrats viewed as the key to winning back the Senate.
In a video statement released moments after Politico’s report, Platner dismissed the rape allegation but acknowledged the reality it could have on his campaign.
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“Regardless of the inaccuracy of the reporting, but mindful of 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,” he said.
The clock is ticking for Democrats to figure out their next move — the deadline in Maine for a candidate to drop out is July 13. If Platner does withdraw by then, the Maine Democratic Party, which also disavowed his campaign, has until July 27 to nominate a replacement.
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And Collins, the political foe that Platner and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., are desperately trying to beat, has stayed an arm’s length from the mess across the political spectrum.
“These allegations are appalling,” Collins said in a statement. “Nevertheless, it is not up to me to choose the Democratic nominee for Senate.”