Graham Platner has officially withdrawn from the U.S. Senate race in Maine, ending a tumultuous stretch in which a rape allegation shattered the left-wing coalition that had powered his campaign.
Mr. Platner cast his exit as a way to protect the movement he helped build to defeat Sen. Susan Collins.
In his withdrawal letter Friday to the secretary of state, he said he was stepping aside so the coalition could continue fighting for its priorities — Medicare for All, banning “billionaires from buying elections, and for an end to taxpayer-funded genocide and foreign wars.”
“In submitting this letter today, I seek to further the movement we have built together and the future we believe in,” he wrote. “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,” he added, signing off with “F*ck Ice. Free Palestine.” and “Up the Hearts,” a nod to Portland’s professional soccer team, The Hearts of Pine.
Under Maine law, Democrats needed Mr. Platner to withdraw before Monday to preserve their ability to replace him on the ballot by July 27. With that deadline met, party officials are now scrambling to assemble a convention where delegates from across the state will choose his successor.
A number of hopefuls have already lined up. Party officials are requiring them to collect at least 500 signatures, including at least 50 from eight of Maine’s 16 counties.
The likely contenders include Nirav Shah, former Senate President Troy Jackson and Secretary of State Shenna Bellows — a trio that fell short in last month’s gubernatorial primary.
Jordan Wood, a former Capitol Hill staffer who placed second in the 2nd Congressional District primary, is also in the mix, as is Dan Kleban, owner of Maine Beer Company. Mr. Kleban briefly ran for the party’s Senate nomination before endorsing Gov. Janet Mills, who dropped out in April when it became clear Mr. Platner was running away with the nomination.
