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Ongoing story / Graham Platner

The 2026 Maine Senate race: Platner's exit and Troy Jackson's nomination

Overview · reviewed October 28, 2026

Graham Platner, Maine's Democratic nominee for the US Senate, withdrew from the race in July 2026 after a woman he had previously dated accused him of sexual assault, an allegation he denies.[1] Maine Democrats chose former state Senate President Troy Jackson to replace him at a nominating convention on July 25.[1]

Read the timeline

Follow this story to see new developments when you return.

Maine Democrats chose former state Senate President Troy Jackson to replace him at a nominating convention on July 25.[1]

Coverage over time

Share of tracked outlets · weekly (UTC)

Week of 2026-07-06 (UTC): 27%, 150 of 560 tracked outlets (48 left, 55 center, 47 right)Week of 2026-07-13 (UTC): 8%, 47 of 559 tracked outlets (10 left, 20 center, 17 right)Week of 2026-07-20 (UTC): 12%, 68 of 562 tracked outlets (15 left, 33 center, 20 right)Week of 2026-07-27 (UTC): 1%, 6 of 561 tracked outlets (2 left, 0 center, 4 right)Week of 2026-08-03 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-08-10 (UTC): 3%, 17 of 545 tracked outlets (7 left, 5 center, 5 right)Week of 2026-08-17 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-08-24 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-08-31 (UTC): 2%, 10 of 475 tracked outlets (4 left, 3 center, 3 right)Week of 2026-09-07 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-09-14 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-09-21 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-09-28 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-10-05 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-10-12 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-10-19 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-10-26 (UTC): 1%, 4 of 473 tracked outlets (0 left, 0 center, 4 right)Week of 2026-11-02 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-11-09 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outlets, so far

LeftCenterRightLighter bar: this week so far

Each bar is the share of the outlets on our Left / Center / Right rating scale that we tracked publishing that week which carried reporting on this story, split by the outlets' ratings. We track more outlets now than in the archive, so a share keeps earlier and later weeks comparable. An outlet counts once a week however much it published, and outlets in one ownership or syndication group count as one on each side they appear on. A rating describes the outlet, not the report. A gap means no such reports were collected that week, not that nothing was reported anywhere. Weeks run Monday to Sunday in UTC, so a report published on a Sunday evening in US Eastern time counts in the next week. 8 more outlets off the scale (not rated, or outside the left-right graphs) also reported; they are not in this chart. See them.

Weekly counts, outlets and reports (7 weeks with coverage)
Outlets on the rating scale that carried this story each week, of the outlets tracked that week, newest first
Week of (UTC)LeftCenterRightOf trackedShareReceipts
Oct 26, 20260044 of 4731%
Aug 31, 202643310 of 4752%
Aug 10, 202675517 of 5453%
Jul 27, 20262046 of 5611%
Jul 20, 202615332068 of 56212%
Jul 13, 202610201747 of 5598%
Jul 6, 2026485547150 of 56027%

Latest coverage

The newest reporting in this story's record.

  1. Oct 29, 2026 · first reported · Headline from New York Post

    Accused rapist Graham Platner is pissed as ever after crashing out of Maine Senate race: ‘Who the f–k are you weirdos’

Background

Platner's campaign collapsed within days. An oyster farmer, he had won Maine's Democratic Senate primary in June 2026. He faced calls to withdraw after Politico reported on July 6 that a woman accused him of sexually assaulting her six years earlier, a claim Platner denied,[2] and Democrats across the country abandoned their support for him.[3] The next day, a former girlfriend, Lyndsey Fifield, told The Washington Post that he had removed condoms without her consent during sex. His campaign called the account "categorically false and politically motivated."[4] Platner suspended his campaign on July 8 and formally withdrew two days later,[5][6] and the Maine Democratic Party set a July 25 convention to choose a replacement.[6]

Read the full background (3 more paragraphs)

President Donald Trump, who had called Platner a "thug" after his primary win, questioned the credibility of his accusers. He said "a lot of people say big falsehoods" and that it was "really a question of whether or not you believe the woman."[7] He also said earlier accusations from a woman who worked in conservative politics had not been taken as seriously.[7] Sen. John Fetterman faulted Sen. Bernie Sanders for helping elevate Platner,[8] and Rep. Ro Khanna said he regretted endorsing him.[9] Sanders later said he had urged Platner to withdraw after the allegation surfaced but did not regret his early endorsement.[10]

Troy Jackson, who, like Platner, had been endorsed by Sanders, filed paperwork on July 7 to explore a run and entered the race after Platner suspended his campaign.[11] The actor Patrick Dempsey said he had given a run "real thought" but would not seek the seat,[12] and eight candidates debated on July 9.[13] Jackson's campaign said he had secured the support of 481 of 500 delegates,[14] and on July 19 three rivals, Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, Nirav Shah and Dan Kleban, dropped out.[15] The convention chose Jackson on July 25.[1]

In September, Platner was dropped as a speaker at a Labor Day rally in Ellsworth after organizers cited security concerns over the media attention. He was to lead a veterans' march after the rally instead.[16]

Supporting stories (16)
  1. Maine Democratic delegates choose Troy Jackson as new nominee to face US Sen. Susan Collins
  2. Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner faces calls to withdraw after sexual assault allegation
  3. Democrats’ narrow path to Senate majority gets rockier as Platner faces sexual assault allegation
  4. Graham Platner’s ex-girlfriend says he removed condoms without consent
  5. Platner, accused of sexual assault, suspends Senate campaign
  6. Platner formally withdraws from Maine Senate race and Democrats announce process to name new nominee
  7. Trump on Platner allegations: ‘A lot of people say big falsehoods’
  8. John Fetterman Says Bernie Sanders Should Apologize for Graham Platner
  9. Ro Khanna says he regrets endorsing Graham Platner in Maine Senate race
  10. Sanders says he does not regret supporting Graham Platner in Maine Senate race
  11. Troy Jackson announces run for US Senate after Platner suspends campaign
  12. Patrick Dempsey shuts down Maine Senate buzz as Democrats weigh a replacement
  13. Maine Democrats running to replace Platner as Senate nominee scramble to woo his voters
  14. How Troy Jackson went from an anti-abortion Republican to the Democrats’ hope for defeating Susan Collins
  15. Shenna Bellows drops out of Maine Senate race
  16. Graham Platner no longer scheduled to speak at Labor Day rally

The full record

Each date is when an update was first reported.

All 40 recorded updates

October 2026

  1. Accused rapist Graham Platner is pissed as ever after crashing out of Maine Senate race: ‘Who the f–k are you weirdos’Headline from New York Post · 4 outlets

September 2026

  1. Graham Platner no longer scheduled to speak at Labor Day rallyHeadline from NBC Boston · 10 outlets

August 2026

  1. Graham Platner to speak at labor rally, one of his first public events since ending Maine campaignHeadline from The Republic · 17 outlets

July 2026

  1. Sanders says he does not regret supporting Graham Platner in Maine Senate raceHeadline from The Hill · 6 outlets
  2. Democrats in Maine select party nominee to replace Graham Platner in US Senate raceHeadline from 12News Now Beaumont · 24 outlets
  3. Maine Democrats choose new nominee to face Susan CollinsHeadline from The Columbian · 10 outlets
  4. Maine Democratic delegates choose Troy Jackson as new nominee to face US Sen. Susan CollinsHeadline from WFXR Roanoke · 26 outlets
  5. Maine Democrats pick Troy Jackson to replace Platner as Senate nomineeHeadline from Roll Call · 14 outlets
  6. Shenna Bellows drops out of Maine Senate raceHeadline from Portland Press Herald · 7 outlets
  7. How Troy Jackson went from an anti-abortion Republican to the Democrats’ hope for defeating Susan CollinsHeadline from KVIA El Paso · 17 outlets
  8. Maine Democrats gather to select delegates who will chose new US Senate nomineeHeadline from News Center Maine · 3 outlets
  9. Troy Jackson surges as Maine Democrats’ likely Senate pick after Graham Platner’s exitHeadline from The Republic · 30 outlets
  10. Google News and Apple News suppressed Platner stories for months: StudyHeadline from Denver Gazette · 6 outlets
  11. Maine Democrats running to replace Platner as Senate nominee scramble to woo his votersHeadline from Daily Journal · 36 outlets
  12. Ro Khanna says he regrets endorsing Graham Platner in Maine Senate raceHeadline from The Hill · 4 outlets
  13. Inside the insurgent rise and rapid downfall of Graham Platner’s campaignHeadline from KVIA El Paso · 7 outlets
  14. Scandal-plagued Graham Platner drops Maine Senate bidHeadline from WGN Chicago · 1 outlet
  15. Maine brewery owner throws hat in ring to replace PlatnerHeadline from The Hill · 6 outlets
  16. Maine Democratic Party says it will hold a convention to replace Graham Platner if he drops out of the US Senate raceHeadline from Kokomo Tribune · 6 outlets
  17. Platner, accused of sexual assault, suspends Senate campaignHeadline from Roll Call · 34 outlets
  18. Platner ran polling on possible replacements before dropping out. Here’s how they stacked up against CollinsHeadline from Washington Examiner · 6 outlets
  19. Patrick Dempsey shuts down Maine Senate buzz as Democrats weigh a replacementHeadline from NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth · 27 outlets
  20. Graham Platner suspends campaign amid scandal, sparking Dem election scrambleHeadline from NBC Los Angeles · 2 outlets
  21. Platner may be finished, but voters' hunger for change and willingness to take risks will remainHeadline from Kokomo Tribune · 11 outlets
  22. Graham Platner has formally withdrawn from the Maine Senate race. Here’s what we know about the process to replace himHeadline from ABC 17 Mid-Missouri · 24 outlets

Coverage & sources

Read the reports, see how much was collected over time, or compare outlets by political leaning.

Coverage & sources →