Graham Platner officially withdrew from the U.S. Senate race in Maine, ending a tumultuous campaign capped by a former girlfriend’s rape allegation against him that shattered the left-wing coalition that powered his run.
Mr. Platner, who cast himself as a working man’s hero, signed off the letter that formally ended his candidacy with “F—- Ice. Free Palestine,” and “Up the Hearts,” a nod to Portland’s professional soccer team, The Hearts of Pine.
He said he quit to protect the movement he helped build to defeat Republican incumbent Sen. Susan Collins.
In his letter to the Maine secretary of state, he said he was stepping aside so the coalition could keep fighting for its priorities — Medicare for All, banning “billionaires from buying elections; and for an end to taxpayer-funded genocide and foreign wars.”
“My name may have been on the ballot, but that ballot line belongs to the people of Maine,” he said.
Under Maine law, Democrats needed Mr. Platner to withdraw before Monday to preserve their ability to replace him on the ballot by July 27. With that deadline met, party officials are now scrambling to assemble a convention where delegates from across the state will choose his successor.
Several hopefuls have already lined up. Party officials have required them to collect at least 500 signatures, including at least 50 from eight of Maine’s 16 counties.
The likely contenders include Nirav Shah, former Senate President Troy Jackson, and Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows — a trio that fell short in last month’s gubernatorial primary.
Jordan Wood, a former Capitol Hill staffer who placed second in the 2nd Congressional District primary, is also in the mix, as is Dan Kleban, owner of Maine Beer Company. Mr. Kleban briefly ran for the party’s Senate nomination before endorsing Gov. Janet Mills, who dropped out in April when it became clear Mr. Platner was running away with the nomination.
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