Graham Platner, Maine's Democratic nominee for Senate, is officially out of the race.The Maine Secretary of State said Platner filed the necessary paperwork to withdraw his candidacy two days after he announced he planned to do so following an accusation of rape by a former romantic partner.Platner denies the allegation.The Maine Democratic Party has until July 27 to pick Platner's replacement.In his withdrawal notice, Platner said "people are desperate for change" and that's why they voted "for a new kind of politics" by making him the Democratic nominee.
He expressed gratitude for those who supported his campaign and said that he will continue to fight for "the movement we have built together and the future we believe in."He ended his notice with a strong statement aligned with the progressive platform."F*ck ICE.Free Palestine.
Up the Hearts."Platner announced his plan to withdraw from the race in an 11-minute video he posted to social media on July 8.He said he had no choice but to suspend his campaign, citing it was no longer viable financially."We are going to lose our ability to fundraise.
We are going to lose our ability to access voter data.We are going to lose all of the things that any campaign needs on the basic level simply to function," he said.Platner added that dropping out was not an admission of guilt.
Rather, the decision, he said, is to keep the progressive movement in Maine alive to defeat Republican Sen.Susan Collins in November.
Platner blamed the "political establishment" for his downfall and argued the goal was to force him out of the race."We built a campaign.We engaged in electoral politics.
We motivated people.We banded together.
We did it the way that we were told we are supposed to make change and we won.And now they are not going to let us have it.
Not if it's me," he said.Many powerful Democrats and progressives, including Sen.Bernie Sanders, an independent, urged Platner to step down.Platner has had to answer to a waterfall o...