Graham Platner says he is reflecting on ‘best path forward’ as pressure mounts to exit Maine Senate race

By Eric Bradner, Arlette Saenz, CNN

(CNN) — Maine Democratic Senate nominee Graham Platner says he is “taking the time to reflect on the best path forward” on Monday after a woman told CNN and Politico he raped her while he was heavily intoxicated nearly five years ago when they were in a casual dating relationship – an allegation Platner denies.

His comments come one week ahead of the July 13 deadline for general election candidates to withdraw from the ballot. If he did so, the state Democratic Party would then have two weeks to put forward a replacement candidate.

In a two-minute, direct-to-camera video posted on social media, Platner called the allegations “troubling, serious and false.”

“Any accusation of nonconsensual behavior is categorically false,” he said.

But he also acknowledged that the allegations could make it more difficult for him to defeat Republican Sen. Susan Collins. Flipping the Maine seat is critical to Democrats’ chances of winning the net four-seat gain they need in November to take majority control of the Senate.

“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,” Platner said in the video.

Around the same time his video was posted on X, there was a brief campaign staff call where a senior campaign official read a statement from Platner, along the same lines as the video, and no questions were taken, according to a source familiar with the call.

Platner appeared to cancel or postpone some events in recent days. Event links for appearances in Gorham and Sanford on Monday were no longer active.

The Democratic National Committee had been running three social media ads over the past week featuring Platner along with the party’s other Senate nominees in key races. All three of those ads were inactive shortly after Monday’s allegations emerged.

Potential replacements

If Platner does decide to end his campaign, attention would quickly turn to who Democrats would choose to replace him.

Two-term Gov. Janet Mills ran in the Democratic primary, but dropped out of the race in April after lagging well behind Platner, the oyster farmer and political newcomer. Other names mentioned by party strategists and Maine Democrats as possibilities on Monday included two losing gubernatorial candidates on this year’s primary ballot: Nirav Shah, former director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention; and former state Sen. Troy Jackson, a logger who was endorsed by Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders in the governor’s race and campaigned alongside Platner.

Other names being floated by strategists Monday included Dan Kleban, a brewery owner who ended his Senate campaign shortly after launching it last year to endorse Mills, Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, who has a long list of progressive supporters, and state Sen. Joe Baldacci, who lost a congressional primary this year.

Platner refused to drop out of the race following early-June reports detailing allegations of unsettling behavior toward women. However, some groups continued polling other Democrats against Collins even after Platner won the primary.

“If you say you care about beating Susan Collins, you got to respect the idea that it’s not you,” one Democratic strategist familiar with the race said of Platner.

On Monday, his support was eroding, including from elected officials, progressive allies and party leaders in Maine.

Two high-profile Democrats, Arizona Sen. Ruben Gallego and California Rep. Ro Khanna, said they were withdrawing their endorsements.

“The allegations against Graham Platner are troubling and deeply serious. I am rescinding my endorsement,” Gallego said on X.

“I’ve been very clear that sexual assault or violence against women is a red line. These allegations are very serious and credible. Graham Platner should drop out from the race. I am withdrawing my endorsement,” Khanna said on X.

The leadership of the Maine Democratic Party also released a statement calling on Platner to step aside, saying it “stands with women and survivors, and that principle does not bend based on party affiliation.”

Popular progressive Twitch streamer Hasan Piker said Monday he believes the allegation.

“The accusations — they are as credible as it is going to get,” he said.

End Citizens United President Tiffany Muller rescinded the organization’s endorsement of Platner and called on him to drop out of the race. Muller, in a statement, called the allegations “profoundly disturbing and disqualifying.”

“The people of Maine deserve a candidate whose commitment to public service and integrity is beyond question and whose campaign can focus on the issues that matter most to them,” Muller said.

David Hogg, the March For Our Lives founder, said on X: “These allegations are horrific, full stop. Graham Platner needs to drop out and let a strong Democratic replacement run.”

For her part, Collins denounced the allegations against her Senate rival, but refused to weigh in on the internal Democratic Party dynamics at play. “These allegations are appalling. Nevertheless, it is not up to me to choose the Democratic nominee for Senate,” Collins said in a statement shared by a campaign spokesperson.

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CNN’s John King, Arit John, David Wright and Ethan Cohen contributed to this report.