Graham Platner, the former Democratic Senate nominee in Maine, will no longer deliver remarks at a Labor Day rally that had been expected to mark his first significant public appearance since he ended his bid to challenge Republican Sen. Susan Collins.
Platner secured the party’s nomination in June but exited the race in July after Politico reported allegations from a former girlfriend who said he had sexually assaulted her. He had been slated to speak Monday at the event in Ellsworth, not far from his hometown of Sullivan.
Platner has denied the accusation.
His planned remarks were expected to center on labor history and the role of unions in the United States. But organizers faced pressure to remove him from the speaking lineup from the former girlfriend as well as another woman who has accused him of domestic abuse.
On Wednesday, rally organizers said the scheduled appearance had begun attracting unwanted media attention. Instead of speaking, Platner is now expected to lead a veterans’ march following the Labor Day rally.
“Graham is not speaking,” said Carol Leonard of Hancock County Activists, the progressive organization behind the event. “The media frenzy got just too insane, and we became concerned about safety.”
Platner, an oyster farmer and combat veteran, drew large crowds across Maine during a fast-moving campaign that culminated in a decisive victory over Gov. Janet Mills, who had suspended her campaign before the primary.
Though he has never held elected office, Platner built his Senate campaign around working-class concerns, including the rising cost of housing and healthcare.
Platner’s campaign was frequently interrupted by scandals, such as the emergence in late May of media reports that he previously exchanged sexually explicit text messages with several women while he was married.
High-profile backers including independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders stood by him in the wake of those allegations, but his support crumbled after the sexual assault allegations surfaced.
Platner also had a tattoo recognized as a Nazi symbol, though he said he did not realize its association with Nazism until he was several weeks into the campaign. He later had the tattoo covered up with a different design.
Platner also apologized for old online comments that included insulting language about women, police and rural residents.
After he dropped out of the race, Democrats held a nominating convention in July in which they chose former Maine Senate President Troy Jackson to run against Collins.
Jackson, who got the Senate nomination after losing a gubernatorial primary, campaigned with Platner in the spring but has distanced himself from him following the sexual assault allegations.
The Ellsworth event is scheduled for midday and will include speakers, live music and the veterans’ march.
