Say, What Happens If Platner ... Stays?

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Yesterday, Graham Platner denied allegations made by Jenny Racicot of rape, but then announced that he would take some time to mull over his options. At the time, Platner had already cancelled his upcoming events before the July 13 deadline to withdraw his nomination as the Democrat candidate for US Senate from Maine. His withdrawal from the race appeared imminent, so much so that Polymarket actually shut down the betting pool on it.

Well, it has been 24 hours since then, and ... all is quiet on the Totenkopf Front. Platner has lost almost every endorser in the race, and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee announced it would not spend money in Maine if Platner remained on the ballot. Even Bernie Sanders threw in the towel this afternoon:

Influential progressive Sen. Bernie Sanders urged Graham Platner to exit the race for Senate in Maine, a day after a woman he was romantically involved with publicly alleged that he sexually assaulted her.
Sanders said Tuesday that he had spoken with Platner and “in light of these very serious allegations, I have recommended that he step aside.”
The allegation, which Platner denied, prompted top Senate Democrats and close allies to rescind their endorsements, cut off funding and call for him to drop out. Sanders’s statement came after most of Platner’s other allies had pulled their support.

Color me entirely unimpressed with Bernie's sudden concern about "very serious allegations." Lyndsey Fifield made very serious allegations of domestic violence and abuse six weeks ago, and Bernie didn't budge an inch. By that time, Platner's extramarital sexting and his lies about his Nazi tattoo had already been established. So too had Platner's s***posting on Reddit about women needing Kevlar underwear and becoming a communist. And let's not forget about Platner's activities on Kik with his half-naked profile pic that was up until five weeks ago.

In other words ...

Now ask Bernie why he promoted a Nazi-tatted Kik creeper in the first place. https://t.co/ZBHznedPbG
— Ed Morrissey (@EdMorrissey) July 7, 2026

We will never get a straight answer to that question. That's why Sanders wants Platner to withdraw as soon as possible, so that attention will shift from Sanders' own responsibility for a disgraceful disaster in a party with which he only barely affiliates. The same is true for all of the other endorsers who suddenly want to turn the page:

“A small caucus of party insiders cannot be trusted to nominate the shake-up-the-system outsider this moment calls for,” Progressive Change Campaign Committee co-founder Adam Green said in a statement.
Meanwhile, Schumer and Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chair Kirsten Gillibrand called for Platner’s immediate withdrawal, saying the DSCC “will not invest in the Maine Senate race” if he remains on the ballot. Schumer had previously backed Mills.
Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Martin Heinrich, previously two of Platner’s biggest supporters, also joined in calling for him to step down, while Sen. Ruben Gallego, another former Platner fan, rescinded his endorsement.

The despicable Ro Khanna has already endorsed state senator Troy Jackson, who – surprise! – allegedly assaulted a staffer in a meeting. Secretary of State Shenna Bellows and former public health official Nirav Shah are reportedly taking calls about running for the nomination at the state convention. Gov. Janet Mills will likely bid for it as well, although apparently the Platner catastrophe hasn't done much to boost her chances.

All of this is premature, though, because it is all predicated on one thing: Platner's voluntary withdrawal from the nomination by end of business Monday. What if Platner doesn't withdraw at all? Well, Democrats can't do anything about it, as Philip Klein points out:

All that being said, it’s quite possible that he will decide to stick it out. In reality, he holds all the cards. He won the Democratic primary, and there is no mechanism for replacing him unless he decides to give up. The guy wouldn’t have gotten as far as he did were he not a narcissist who ignored the advice of the party’s power brokers. The very reason he is in this position in the first place is that he has a history of making reckless, rash decisions that are selfish and that defy rational thinking.
He knows that if he steps aside, he will be remembered forever as the guy who had to drop out after being credibly accused of rape, which will convince everybody that the accusations about him are true.

What happens then? The endorsers will come crawling back, Klein predicts:

If he holds on, however, Democrats will be stuck with him after next week. Given how negative partisanship works, the left-wing tilt of the state, and the control of the Senate at stake, it’s easy to see Democratic voters talking themselves into the idea that they have to suck it up and support Platner. If Republicans control the Senate, Trump could still confirm Supreme Court justices, lower court judges, and any other nominees. So it’s plausible that Maine remains a competitive race even with Platner. If it comes to October and the seat remains crucial to Democrats retaking the Senate, let’s see if the national committees stick to their pledges not to support him.

This is almost too easy to predict. Of course Sanders, Warren, and Khanna will come back to Platner. What choice would they have? To avoid that, Democrats will have to woo Platner into a withdrawal, and he knows it. The New York Post reported today that Platner wants to set the terms of his withdrawal, and expects Democrats to make him a kingmaker:

Maine Democratic candidate Graham Platner appears to be holding the Democratic Party hostage — refusing to drop out after he was accused of rape unless he gets to approve his successor to run for the Senate, The Post has learned.
A source familiar with the campaign discussions said Platner, his campaign and political strategist Morris Katz are deliberating about the Maine Democrat dropping out but only if his replacement has the same anti-Israel, left-wing values that he does. ...
The source quipped that Platner “assumes whoever might replace [him] would want a rapist’s endorsement.”
“His team is delusional,” this person said, noting that Katz, a former campaign adviser to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, is still recommending Platner remain in the race.

His team isn't delusional at all. They realize that they have only one card left to play, and in Rod Blagojevich's immortal words, it's "a f*****g valuable thing." If Platner withdraws, he has to go back to mooching off his parents, with the reputational damage from this campaign hanging over his head that will sour any commercial opportunities that might otherwise have emerged. Platner will demand a golden parachute from Democrats to allow the party to pick another nominee.

And if he doesn't get it? Platner will keep the nomination and force Democrats to support him in their Orange Man Bad psychosis. Republicans will have a field day in the midterms if Platner stays in the race, making their endorsement of a rapist an issue in every House and Senate election this cycle. And I doubt that Platner will lose a single night's sleep over the damage he'll do to Democrats.

Editor’s Note: The 2026 Midterms will determine the fate of President Trump’s America First agenda. Republicans must maintain control of both chambers of Congress.

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