Last year, we discussed Graham Platner, who was then running for the Democratic nomination for Maine’s Senate race. Even from the earliest days of his campaign, Platner seemed divisive and astroturfed by alleged progressives and the pod bros. Then, last October, people learned about his Nazi tattoo. Excuses were made, moral high grounds were abandoned and Platner weathered the storm. Platner ended up as the Democratic nominee in the senate race, even though it was clear that the GOP had a thick oppo file on the guy. Democrats should have done the same research on him, but they didn’t. Too many people were too busy normalizing Nazi tattoos, flimsy backstories and his disgraceful, sketchy and criminal behavior with women.

Then, this week, a Maine woman came forward to say that Platner raped her five years ago. The woman, Jenny Racicot, went on the record and gave details of the sexual assault. Politico checked out her story in detail – go here to read. Platner denied it. Then on Wednesday, he finally dropped out of the race.

Maine Democratic Senate nominee Graham Platner said in a video statement Wednesday he was suspending his campaign, taking aim at the Democratic establishment while clearing the way for the party to select a new candidate to take on Republican Sen. Susan Collins in one of the most important contests of November’s midterm elections.

Platner’s decision comes after a woman told CNN and Politico he raped her while he was heavily intoxicated nearly five years ago when they were in a casual dating relationship – an allegation Platner denies.

“We believe that for the movement to continue it can’t be me — and for that reason we are suspending campaign operations,” Platner said in an 11-minute video posted on X, adding that he intends to file paperwork to withdraw.

Platner spent a large portion of the video railing against the Democratic Party establishment that he claimed is using the allegations of sexual assault and dating violence, which he vigorously denied, to undermine him and his movement.

“It’s not the false allegations though that have brought us to where we are. It’s the fact that they are being used by the political establishment to put structural pressure on us. We live in a political system that is not built for normal people. It is a system built structurally to make sure that movements like ours cannot flourish,” Platner said.

He added the “brutal political reality” is that those in power are using the allegations as “an excuse to take away all of the things that we need to run a campaign,” including the ability to fundraise and access voter data.

“We were asking for real democracy, and we did it the right way, and we won, but now the ball is in the court of the Democratic establishment. My name might be on the ballot right now, but that ballot line belongs to the people of Maine, and on November 3, it needs to belong to the people of Maine, and the next Democratic senator for Maine needs to belong to the people of Maine,” he said.

[From CNN]

While Jenny Racicot is the only one accusing him of rape, several women went on the record about his toxic, unfaithful, misogynistic and sleazy behavior. I believe all of them. I hope this is a lesson for voters and self-proclaimed political operatives, especially in the currently fragmented Democratic party. Do the oppo research on your own people too, and believe women. As soon as you find out that your guy has a Nazi tattoo, he shouldn’t be your guy anymore.

Photos courtesy of Graham Platner’s Instagram.