Graham Platner, the Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate race in Maine, announced the suspension of his campaign and said he was filing paperwork to withdraw his candidacy, after a woman accused him of sexual assault, prompting key backers to drop their support and urge him to exit the race.

In an 11-minute video shared on social media, Platner said he was “suspending campaign operations” but that this was “certainly” not an “admission of guilt” regarding the allegations against him.

Platner claimed that if he chose to continue in the race, he would lose his ability to fundraise, access voter data and other things needed to run his campaign.

Platner said the process to replace him on the ballot should be “open, transparent and democratic” and should be driven by the people of Maine.

The candidate also called out the party’s leadership in Washington, saying, “People in D.C. need to stay in D.C.”

“What comes next needs to come from the people, needs to come from the people of Maine, needs to come from the voters who…voted for a politics that would actually represent them. Voted against the political system, against the donor class, against the entrenched forces,” Platner said in his statement.

In a statement , the Maine Democratic Party said it held a meeting with “over 100 state committee members,“ and they voted to “hold a nominating convention to choose a new nominee.” The statement noted that information on how candidates can participate and other requirements will be made available “soon” as the party vowed to keep the process transparent. Under Maine state law, Platner must withdraw from the race before 5 p.m. on July 13, and the party must name a replacement candidate by July 27.

Speaking to reporters onboard Air Force One, Trump addressed the Platner controversy shortly before he announced his withdrawal from the race. The president said it would be “very hard” for the Democrats to pick a replacement for Platner before adding: “It's a question of whether or not you believe the woman. A lot of people say big falsehoods…He's in a bind…I would imagine he's gonna lose.” The president then appeared to reference an allegation made by another woman, Lyndsey Fifield , who told the New York Times in June that Planter had been physically rough with her when they dated. “It's very interesting when a Republican woman came out with the same charge, nobody believed her,” Trump said.

Platner’s candidacy has been plagued by several scandals in the past month. The most serious allegation was raised by a 41-year-old woman, Jenny Racicot, who accused him of raping her when they were dating five years ago. Racicot told Politico that Platner came to her home uninvited and in an drunken state in 2021 and forcibly had sex with her. Platner refuted the allegations, calling them “serious, troubling and false.” The allegations prompted several key backers of Platner’s campaign, including Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, to call for him to drop out the race. Platner who ran as a progressive comfortably won the Democratic primary last month after his chief opponent Maine Gov. Janet Mills dropped out of the race. Ahead of the primaries Platner faced allegations of sending sexually explicit texts to other women and “ unsettling behavior ” by former girlfriends, both of which he denied.

Bernie Sanders Says Graham Platner Should Drop Out After Rape Allegation (Forbes)

Woman who dated Graham Platner says he sexually assaulted her (Politico)