Bernie Sanders Calls on Platner to Quit Maine Race, Candidate Still Has Not Withdrawn

Since the sexual assault allegation against Maine Democratic Senate nominee Graham Platner became public on July 6, the list of Democratic figures demanding he exit the race has grown to include one of his most important allies. Sen. Bernie Sanders.

Sanders, the Vermont independent who caucuses with Democrats and had backed Platner in the high-stakes race against Republican incumbent Sen. Susan Collins, said Tuesday he spoke directly with Platner and told him to step aside. "In light of these very serious allegations, I have recommended that he step aside," Sanders said in a statement reported by the Associated Press.

Platner has not done so.

Where the Candidate Stands

Platner posted a video Monday calling the allegations "troubling, serious, and false." His campaign has gone further, calling the accusation "coached and coordinated by out of state establishment operatives" and framing it as the latest in a year-long string of attacks — Nazi tattoo, war criminal, communist — none of which, his campaign claims, has been true.

He has canceled scheduled town hall events and said his team is reflecting on "the best path forward for the state that I love." That is the full extent of his public posture as of July 7, 2026.

That defense deserves a fair hearing. Allegations surfacing one week before a ballot deadline, against a candidate who has already survived multiple rounds of negative press, do raise a legitimate question about timing. Platner's camp is not wrong that politically motivated opposition research sometimes weaponizes personal accusations. No charges have been filed. No investigation has been announced. Jenny Racicot's account, while corroborated in part by contemporaneous documents Politico reviewed — emails between Racicot and her therapist, messages warning an acquaintance away from Platner before he ran — remains an allegation, not a legal finding.

Corroboration is significant. Politico also spoke with a man Racicot dated and confided in after the alleged incident. Her account has been consistent across the Politico report and her CNN interview, where she alleged Platner violated "multiple layers of consent" that night — entering her home after she told him not to come, advancing on her after she said no, and refusing to use protection.

Platner denies all of it categorically.

The Political Collapse

However the factual dispute ultimately resolves, the political collapse around Platner has been swift and broad.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and DSCC Chair Kirsten Gillibrand announced Monday the committee will not invest in the Maine race if Platner stays on the ballot. Rep. Ro Khanna pulled his endorsement, calling the allegations "very serious and credible." Sen. Ruben Gallego withdrew his backing. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who had campaigned with Platner, said "there can be no tolerance for sexual assault."

Now Sanders — who had been among Platner's most committed supporters — is out too.

Maine's seat was considered a genuine Democratic pickup opportunity against Collins, a Republican who has survived tough cycles before. Democrats had built real hope around Platner's candidacy. That opportunity is now in serious jeopardy regardless of what Platner decides.

The Deadline

Under Maine election law, the Democratic nominee can be replaced only if he withdraws by 5 p.m. on the second Monday in July — July 13. If Platner does not withdraw by that deadline, he remains the Democratic nominee whether the party wants him or not, and the DSCC has made clear it will not fund the race.

A Senate race with no national party money against a well-funded incumbent like Collins is, for practical purposes, already lost.

Grass-roots supporters are divided. Joanie Monteith, a Platner organizer from York, Maine, told the Associated Press she was "numb" and "heartbroken," waiting for another public statement before deciding whether she could keep supporting him. Another Maine voter, Lee Holman, said she wants him to stay in.

What Happens Next

Platner has six days to make his decision. If he withdraws before July 13, Maine Democrats scramble to find a replacement candidate capable of running a credible general election campaign against Collins on short notice. If he stays, Democrats run a nominee who has been abandoned by Schumer, the DSCC, Sanders, Warren, Khanna, and Gallego — with zero national committee money and a rape allegation hanging over every campaign event.

The open question is whether any force, legal, political, or personal, can move Platner before that deadline. His public statements so far suggest a candidate who believes he is being railroaded and has not yet made peace with walking away.