The Democratic candidate’s exit comes after he was accused of sexual assault by a woman he previously dated. The formal paperwork means his name won’t appear on the ballot.
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Graham Platner has officially withdrawn from the Maine Senate race, the state’s secretary of state said Friday, submitting the needed paperwork to remove his name from the ballot.
Platner announced he was suspending his campaign on Wednesday after a woman he previously dated publicly accused him of sexual assault. He has denied the allegations but told his campaign staff on Wednesday night that he intended to officially withdraw from the race on Monday — the deadline to do so. A Platner spokesperson did not respond when asked why he withdrew earlier.
“The Secretary of State’s Office today confirmed that a formal notice has been received from U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner,” the office said in a release. “A public declaration is not an official withdrawal, and a candidate must formally withdraw in writing to the Elections office, including signature.”
The office said that because Platner submitted the needed paperwork before the Monday deadline, “his name will not appear on the ballot, and his political party may replace him.”
Platner’s initial decision to delay his official withdrawal had become a point of contention for many Democrats in Maine, some of whom viewed it as the candidate attempting to influence the process by raising the possibility that he would not give up the Democratic ballot line.
Platner wrote on social media Friday that he submitted the paperwork in an effort to “further the movement we have built together and the future we believe in.”
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“People are desperate for change. For this broken system to be righted. For the American experiment to be furthered,” Platner wrote.
After submitting the paperwork, Platner messaged a chat that included his former campaign staffers and said he “just submitted this to the division of elections.”
“Thank you all so much, this was the best thing I have done in my life. I’d do it all over again in a heartbeat,” Platner said, according to a copy of the message provided to The Washington Post. “I love you all.”
Since Platner suspended his campaign, a half dozen Maine Democrats have announced they would run to replace him. On Thursday, the Maine Democratic Party said those candidates would need to submit a declaration of intent to run at a nominating convention, including a 300-word statement outlining their campaign vision and at least 500 signatures from registered Democratic voters in Maine.
The party, however, has not released official details of how the convention will run or who will vote to replace that one-time Senate candidate.
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