Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner abruptly suspended his campaign Wednesday after a woman accused him of attacking her several years ago, bringing a dramatic end to a closely watched Senate bid that had already been overshadowed by a series of personal controversies.

Platner announced his withdrawal in an 11-minute video posted to social media. While emphatically rejecting the allegation and insisting it was fabricated, he said mounting pressure from Democratic leaders at both the state and national levels had left his campaign with no realistic path forward. He accused the political establishment of orchestrating his downfall.

“This is incredibly difficult, because I know that some will think it’s an admission of guilt, and it most certainly is not,” he said. “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 said he intends to formally remove himself from the race by filing the required paperwork before the state’s Monday afternoon deadline.

His exit throws the high-profile Senate contest into turmoil as Democrats attempt to defeat Republican Sen. Susan Collins in a race viewed as critical to the battle for Senate control. Under Maine law, Democrats now have until July 27 to choose a replacement nominee.

Earlier Wednesday, the Maine Democratic Party announced plans to hold a nominating convention to select a new candidate, saying additional details would be released shortly. Party officials also made clear that Platner would play no role in the selection process, as several prominent Democrats have already expressed interest in the nomination.

In his video, Platner urged party leaders to conduct what he described as an “open, transparent and democratic” selection process rather than allowing “party apparatchiks” to handpick his successor.

“My name might be on the ballot right now, but that ballot line belongs to the people of Maine,” he said in his video Wednesday.

Announcing his decision to suspend his campaign, Platner argued that he was denied a fair opportunity to respond before political leaders and the media rushed to judgment.

In his video announcing the end of his campaign, Platner said he learned about the allegations through press inquiries “with no time to truly respond, no time for investigations before a corporate media system and the political establishment got to act as judge, jury and executioner.”

“Accusations are supposed to be the beginning of things, not the end,” he said.

“This was the last week to try to get me off of the ballot, and that’s why this is occurring,” he added.

The allegations quickly prompted top Democratic officials to call for Platner’s withdrawal, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, and the Maine Democratic Party. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee also announced it would withhold campaign support if Platner remained the nominee, while Senate Majority PAC redirected its resources elsewhere, severely damaging his chances of continuing the race.

Several of Platner’s most prominent supporters also distanced themselves, with Rep. Ro Khanna and Sen. Ruben Gallego withdrawing their endorsements shortly after the allegations became public.

Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders, who had been one of Platner’s most influential backers, revealed Tuesday that he personally advised the candidate to leave the race.

Late Tuesday, as the deadline to remove Platner’s name from the ballot approached, the Maine Democratic Party accused his campaign of attempting to “put their thumb on the scale” by influencing the process for selecting a replacement nominee. Platner’s campaign denied trying to control the outcome, saying only that he wanted the decision left to “voters and volunteers.” Some former allies argued the party should replace him with another progressive Democrat.

Republicans quickly seized on the controversy, suggesting the allegations would have lasting political consequences even after Platner’s withdrawal.

In a statement shortly after Platner’s withdrawal, Republican National Committee Chair Joe Gruters said: “Democrats rolled in the mud with Platner, and now they are completely stained by their association with this sick monster.”

Platner, a 41-year-old military veteran and oyster farmer from coastal Maine, emerged as an unexpected Democratic contender last year, earning endorsements from progressive leaders including Bernie Sanders. After Gov. Janet Mills opted not to run, Platner easily captured the Democratic nomination without facing significant opposition.

His campaign, however, was repeatedly hampered by revelations about his personal history. Reports last year uncovered controversial Reddit posts he had written years earlier, and Platner acknowledged receiving a tattoo during his Marine service that is widely recognized as a Nazi symbol. He later apologized for the online posts and said the tattoo had since been covered.

Additional controversies followed after Mills exited the race.

Responding to those earlier reports, Platner acknowledged struggling through a difficult chapter in his life.

Platner has said some of the allegations against him stemmed from a “very dark period of my life where I struggled with undiagnosed PTSD, too often self medicated with alcohol…”

Following those earlier revelations, several supporters—including his former political director—publicly suggested he should end his campaign, fearing the mounting controversies would jeopardize Democrats’ effort to defeat Collins, who has represented Maine in the Senate since 1997 despite the state’s increasingly Democratic electorate.

Just last month, however, Platner insisted he had no intention of leaving the race.

Platner told MS NOW last month that “not once” had he considered dropping out of the race.

“Amy and I knew early on that we were going to take lumps, and we just, we’re dedicated to this,” Platner said. “It has never crossed our mind to drop out of this thing. I am fully committed to this until the end.”

{Matzav.com}