World·BreakingDemocrat Graham Platner says he plans to withdraw from Maine Senate race after allegation of sexual assault surfaced.Insurgent candidate says decision is not an admission of guiltThe Associated Press · Posted: Jul 08, 2026 8:30 PM EDT | Last Updated: 30 minutes agoListen to this articleEstimated 2 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.Graham Platner, the Maine Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, speaks at an event in Orono, Maine, on May 24. Platner announced Wednesday evening that he was suspending his campaign in the wake of a sexual assault allegation. (Robert F. Bukaty/The Associated Press)Graham Platner said Wednesday that he plans to withdraw from the U.S. Senate race in Maine after recently facing an allegation of sexual assault. The move shuttered an insurgent campaign that had withstood months of controversy only to implode and imperil Democrats' attempt to regain power in Washington. Platner's exit will most likely force a reckoning within the party, which has been divided between its moderate and progressive factions, when it is struggling to unify during this year's midterm elections. Maine is considered a key state for control of the narrowly divided Senate, and Democrats were desperate for a candidate capable of defeating Republican Sen. Susan Collins while President Donald Trump is broadly unpopular. Platner says the process to replace him needs to be "open, transparent and democratic" and to reflect the will and values of people who supported him. He also lashed out at Democratic leaders in Washington, D.C."People in D.C. need to stay in D.C.," he said. "Decisions should not be made by people in places of political power."He stressed that his decision was not an admission of guilt.More to come.