{"id":928,"date":"2026-07-07T21:09:52","date_gmt":"2026-07-07T21:09:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/?p=928"},"modified":"2026-07-07T21:09:52","modified_gmt":"2026-07-07T21:09:52","slug":"sen-bernie-sanders-calls-for-graham-platner-to-drop-out","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/?p=928","title":{"rendered":"Sen. Bernie Sanders Calls for Graham Platner to Drop Out"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Sen. Bernie Sanders called on Graham Platner to drop out of the race for Maine\u2019s U.S. Senate seat on Tuesday, leaving the scandal-scarred candidate without the support of one of his first and most steadfast allies.<\/p>\n

Read more Republican Leaders Say They\u2019ve Spoken With Hospitalized McConnell<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cI have spoken with Graham Platner about the best path forward for Maine. In light of these very serious allegations, I have recommended that he step aside,\u201d Sanders wrote in a short statement posted to X<\/u><\/span>.<\/p>\n

Platner faced a series of calls for him to drop out of the race after Politico reported<\/u><\/span> Monday that he allegedly raped a woman he used to date in 2021. The story was just one of several over the course of the past year accusing Platner of misconduct, including a lengthy report in The New York Times<\/u><\/span> that featured several women who accused Platner of \u201cunsettling\u201d behavior.<\/p>\n

Platner has faced a list of other controversies as well \u2014 including problematic Reddit posts, claims that he had a Nazi-linked tattoo and allegations that he sent sexually explicit messages to other women early in his marriage.<\/p>\n

The embattled candidate largely admitted to the other allegations, but he has vehemently denied engaging in nonconsensual sex, calling the accusation \u201ccategorically untrue.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sanders\u2019 suggestion that Platner step down is the latest in a cascade of similar calls.<\/p>\n

The Maine Democratic party called on<\/u><\/span> Platner to step down on Monday, citing \u201cmultiple credible allegations from women.\u201d Democratic leadership, including several Washington power brokers who initially backed Platner\u2019s Democratic opponent, Gov. Janet Mills, in the primary, also called for<\/u><\/span> him to back out of the race against incumbent Sen. Susan Collins.<\/p>\n

Read more Trump\u2019s Biggest Roadblock to Selling Jets to Turkey May Be Republican Lawmakers<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cThe allegations reported today are incredibly disturbing \u2014 violence, abuse and sexual assault are absolutely unacceptable,\u201d Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand , the chair of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, said in a joint statement. \u201cThe DSCC will not invest in the Maine Senate race if Platner remains on the ballot.\u201d<\/p>\n

Immediately upon entering the race, Democrats compared Platner to Sanders, pointing to their progressive platforms and support for policies like \u201cMedicare for All.\u201d The loss of support from Sanders, though widely expected, represents a gut punch to Platner\u2019s campaign that will prove difficult to recover from.<\/p>\n

Platner has not yet dropped out of the race and appears to be weighing his options. The candidate said in a video<\/u><\/span> posted to X on Monday that his team is \u201ctaking the time to reflect on the best path forward.\u201d Platner has not issued any additional statements since Sanders withdrew his support on Tuesday.<\/p>\n

In the meantime, several contenders are lining up to replace Platner.<\/p>\n

Former Maine state Senate President Troy Jackson, who filed paperwork<\/u><\/span> to form an exploratory committee and officially consider replacing Platner on Tuesday, appeared with both him and Sanders at a rally<\/u><\/span> in May.<\/p>\n

Jackson, like Sanders, also rescinded his endorsement after Politico\u2019s report.<\/p>\n

Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, former public health chief Nirav Shah and former 2nd Congressional District candidate Jordan Wood have also been floated as potential replacements should Platner decide to drop out before the filing deadline passes next week.<\/p>\n

Read more First Challenger Files Paperwork to Potentially Replace Platner<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Vermont independent was one of the first major politicians to endorse Platner just days after he entered the race last year.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":927,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-928","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-2026-election"],"yoast_head":"\nSen. Bernie Sanders Calls for Graham Platner to Drop Out - Modern Home Journals<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/?p=928\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Sen. 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