Bernie Sanders Turns on His Protégé as a Damning Report Threatens to Blow Up the Maine Senate Race
Bernie Sanders just told his protégé Graham Platner to drop out of Maine’s Senate race after a report surfaced alleging Platner sexually assaulted a woman he was dating. According to The Hill, in a statement released on Tuesday, July 7, 2026, Sanders said he’d spoken with Platner about “the best path forward for Maine” and recommended he step aside.
It’s a sharp turn for Sanders, who was one of Platner’s biggest backers as the Democrat’s campaign gained steam in the race to unseat Republican Sen. Susan Collins. The fallout has been swift. Since Politico published the allegation Monday afternoon, several of Sanders’ Senate colleagues – including Elizabeth Warren, Chris Van Hollen, and Ruben Gallego – have pulled their endorsements.
Senate Democratic leadership, like Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, who chairs the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, have also called for Platner to exit the race. Even progressive leaders outside Congress, like New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, have cut ties.
The allegation comes from Jenny Racicot
Racicot told Politico and other outlets that in 2021, Platner let himself into her home while drunk and had sex with her against her will. Platner denied the accusations but said Monday he’s “taking time to reflect on the best path forward.” His campaign later said that he’d reached out to the Maine Democratic Party to understand the replacement process but insisted they weren’t trying to influence it.
That hasn’t stopped the party from pushing back. Maine Democratic Party Executive Director Devon Murphy-Anderson said Tuesday that Platner’s team has repeatedly tried to sway the selection of his replacement. In a video posted on X, Murphy-Anderson called the integrity of the process “just as important as the outcome” and said the party is committed to ensuring Democrats can trust how the next nominee is chosen.
“We have repeatedly reiterated to Graham Platner’s team that they have no role in determining our next Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate, nor in determining what this process looks like,” she said. Platner’s campaign fired back with a statement saying they only wanted clarity on the process.
“At no point has the campaign tried to ‘put its finger on the scale,’” it read. “Over 150,000 Mainers voted for this movement, and over 15,000 Mainers volunteered their time and energy to it.” The campaign didn’t address the allegations directly but emphasized the grassroots support behind Platner’s bid.
With Platner’s exit all but certain, the scramble to replace him is already underway
Our Revolution, the political group Bernie Sanders founded, is planning to endorse Troy Jackson, the former Maine Senate president who ran for governor earlier this year. Jackson filed paperwork to enter the race Tuesday, positioning himself as the natural successor to Platner’s progressive platform.
A spokesperson for Our Revolution told The Hill that Jackson’s priorities – like lowering prescription drug costs, expanding affordable housing, and cutting property taxes – most closely mirror Platner’s. “The platform that won is Graham Platner’s platform,” the spokesperson said, framing Jackson as the next-best option given the tight timeline.
The party’s rules don’t allow for a do-over of the primary, so the next nominee will likely be chosen by a committee of state Democratic leaders. That’s left some progressives frustrated, including the Our Revolution spokesperson, who said they’d prefer a convention or a new election.
“Obviously, we wish it were more up to the people,” they said. “But as far as influencing the process and making the case, the most approximate thing we can point to as a proxy to an election is the last one that just happened.”
For now, the focus is on damage control
Platner’s campaign may have 150,000 votes behind it, but the party isn’t letting him dictate what comes next. Murphy-Anderson’s video made it clear: the Maine Democrats are drawing a line, and Platner’s team isn’t welcome on their side of it. The question now is whether Jackson, or another candidate, can step in fast enough to keep the momentum alive against Collins.
The stakes couldn’t be higher. Maine’s Senate race is one of the most competitive in the country, and Democrats see it as a critical pickup to regain control of the chamber. Platner’s exit leaves a gaping hole in their strategy, but the party is moving quickly to fill it. Whether voters will rally behind a new face this late in the game is anyone’s guess, but one thing’s for sure: the race just got a lot more complicated.
(Featured image: Gage Skidmore)
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