Graham Platner, a progressive outsider who seized the Democratic nomination for Senate in Maine despite reports that he mistreated women, suspended his campaign Wednesday following allegations of sexual assault.

“We believe that for the movement to continue it can’t be made. For that reason, we are suspending campaign operations,” Platner said in an 11-minute video referencing the momentum he built going into last month’s primary. “This is incredibly difficult, because I know that some will think it’s an admission of guilt, and it most certainly is not.”

Platner said he will file the paperwork to withdraw, adding that “the process needs to assure that what comes next is reflective of the Mainers who, on June 9, turned out and showed that they are desperate for a different kind of politics.”

The announcement on social media from Platner, 41, an oyster farmer and Marine Corps and Army veteran, comes after a litany of scandals engulfed his bid to unseat Republican Sen. Susan Collins in a race Democrats are counting on to try to retake the Senate.

Most recently, a woman he previously dated, Jenny Racicot, accused him of sexual assault, Politico reported Monday. Platner denied the allegation and said his campaign was “taking the time to reflect on the best path forward.”

The next day, The Washington Post reported that another woman, Lyndsey Fifield, told the outlet that Platner removed his condom against her wishes on multiple occasions while they were having sex. A spokesperson for Platner called that account “categorically false and politically motivated.”

Platner again denied the allegations as he dropped his Senate bid, calling the accusations “all false” and “not real.”

Racicot and Fifield were among several women who had dated Platner and had previously accused him of behavior that was disrespectful of women. Platner’s momentum was enough for him to weather that initial reporting, with most prominent Democrats who had endorsed him expressing concerns but sticking by him.

But Racicot’s decision to come forward with her accounts of being sexually assaulted led to a wave of calls from high-profile Democrats for Platner to drop out. The Maine Democratic Party, Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin, and several senior Democratic members of Congress — including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y. — all said the candidate should abandon his campaign within hours of the Politico story breaking.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, the Vermont independent who’d been among Platner’s first big backers, said Tuesday that he’d spoken with Platner and recommended he step aside.

Advocacy groups including Planned Parenthood Action Fund, Common Defense and Our Revolution also rescinded their endorsements.

State law dictates that 5 p.m. on the second Monday in July — meaning next Monday — is the deadline for candidates to withdraw for reasons other than “catastrophic” illness, condition, injury or death. The state’s Democratic political committee is responsible for nominating a new candidate by the fourth Monday in July. 

Party officials said roughly 100 members on an all-hands call shortly before Platner’s announcement had voted to hold a convention to pick his replacement.

Platner suggested in the lengthy video that the allegations surfaced because “this was the last week” to remove him from the ballot, arguing the political establishment was using them to pressure his campaign.

Platner won the Democratic primary in early June after Gov. Janet Mills dropped out of the race in late April. While some Senate Democrats voiced concerns about Platner’s late-breaking scandals, several Maine Democrats told MS NOW days before the primary that they were sticking with him.

In early June — just over a week before the primary — his campaign’s former political director told MS NOW and other outlets that Platner’s wife, Amy Gertner, confided that he had exchanged sexually explicit text messages with at least a dozen women before he launched his campaign last year.

After the news reports broke, Gertner released a lengthy video in which she defended her husband and said she was angry about the reports.

Later that week — and a few days before the primary — the Times published a story accusing Platner of “toxic” behavior in prior romantic relationships, including alleged physical assault, which he denied in an interview with MS NOW’s Chris Hayes.

Platner won the nomination with more than 70% of the votes cast.

Platner faced other scandals earlier in the campaign. Unearthed Reddit posts showed the candidate calling police officers “bastards,” branding himself a communist and making insensitive remarks about victims of sexual assault — comments Platner disavowed once they came to light.

His chest tattoo resembling a Nazi symbol also dominated headlines. Platner has since had the tattoo covered up and said he did not realize the symbol was connected to the Nazis.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

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