{"id":820,"date":"2026-07-07T20:47:15","date_gmt":"2026-07-07T20:47:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/relocationacrossamerica.com\/?p=820"},"modified":"2026-07-07T20:47:15","modified_gmt":"2026-07-07T20:47:15","slug":"step-aside-sanders-calls-for-platner-to-drop-out-amid-assault-allegations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/relocationacrossamerica.com\/?p=820","title":{"rendered":"\u201cStep aside\u201d: Sanders calls for Platner to drop out amid assault allegations"},"content":{"rendered":"<section>\n<p>Bernie Sanders called on Graham Platner to suspend his campaign for Senate on Tuesday.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/relocationacrossamerica.com\/?p=818\">Ken Paxton vowed to crack down on \u201cillegal voting.\u201d He may have violated Texas election law<\/a><\/p>\n<p>The independent senator from Vermont had been one of Platner\u2019s biggest boosters throughout his successful Democratic primary campaign in Maine. Sanders\u2019 about-face came after one of Platner\u2019s former romantic partners accused him of sexual assault. In a statement, Sanders urged Platner to let someone else face incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI have spoken with Graham Platner about the best path forward for Maine,\u201d Sanders shared. \u201cIn light of these very serious allegations, I have recommended that he step aside.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The progressive veteran and oysterman\u2019s campaign has been troubled nearly from the start. Photos revealed a skull tattoo on Platner\u2019s chest that bore more than a little resemblance to a symbol of the Nazi SS. He had the tattoo covered up following the outcry. Shortly thereafter, controversial Reddit posts from Platner\u2019s account surfaced. Last month, several of Platner\u2019s former flames spoke with the New York Times and accused him of \u201cunsettling\u201d behavior. All of that came to a head on Monday, when one of Platner\u2019s past partners directly accused him of sexual assault in interviews with Politico.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/relocationacrossamerica.com\/?p=816\">Please give Neil the Seal some space<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Sanders is not the first elected progressive to pull their support from Platner. Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif. and Sen. Rub\u00e9n Gallego, D-Ariz., withdrew their endorsements following the report. For his part, Platner has denied the allegations.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAny accusation of nonconsensual behavior is categorically false,\u201d he said on Monday. \u201cRegardless of the inaccuracy of the reporting, but mindful of the political reality it will inflict, we are taking time to reflect on the best path forward.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/relocationacrossamerica.com\/?p=814\">John Oliver\u2019s killer \u201cGeneral Hospital\u201d turn did not disappoint<\/a><\/p>\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Platner booster joined a chorus of prominent Democrats urging the Maine candidate to end his campaign.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":819,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[1151,563,1152,564],"class_list":["post-820","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interesting","tag-bernie-sanders","tag-graham-platner","tag-john-fetterman","tag-maine"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.7 - 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JUNE 07: Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner speaks to voters at a town hall at the Elks Lodge 188 on June 7, 2026 in Portland, Maine. 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JUNE 07: Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner speaks to voters at a town hall at the Elks Lodge 188 on June 7, 2026 in Portland, Maine. Platner is the presumptive Democratic nominee and will face incumbent Sen. Collins (R-ME) for Maine's U.S. Senate seat in the general election. 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