\n ![\"Naomi](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1783457414_479_2fccdf2f6aa572352613e6735eb73a2e_Britain_Wimbledon_Tennis_446_1.jpg.webp\")
<\/p>\nNaomi Osaka of Japan reacts to losing a point against Karolina Muchova of Czech Republic in their quarter-final women’s singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Tuesday, July 7, 2026. (AP Photo\/Kin Cheung)<\/p>\n
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PORTLAND, Maine (AP) \u2014 Sen. Bernie Sanders on Tuesday became the latest and most notable lawmaker to pull support for Maine Democratic U.S. Senate nominee Graham Platner following an allegation of sexual assault, adding to a chorus of calls for him to step aside as party leaders scramble to determine the next steps.<\/p>\n
Sanders, a Vermont independent who caucuses with Democrats, has long backed Platner in the high-stakes race against Republican Sen. Susan Collins, but he said in a statement that he spoke with the candidate and \u201cin light of these very serious allegations, I have recommended that he step aside.\u201d<\/p>\n
Platner, who denies the allegation, has not heeded the calls to resign. Instead, he posted a video on Monday saying he was considering the next steps for his campaign while canceling town hall events.<\/p>\n
Platner posted the video after reports that a woman who previously dated the first-time candidate said he drunkenly forced her to have sex after she told him to stop.<\/p>\n
The allegation is the latest in a string of controversies Platner has faced and so far weathered since the oyster farmer and Marine veteran entered the race. But the seriousness of the assault claim has put the Maine contest \u2014 and Democrats’ ability to win control of the Senate \u2014 at risk, with even some of his strongest supporters questioning whether Platner should continue his campaign.<\/p>\n
If Platner steps down, a possible succession battle would inflame a Democratic divide as the party seeks unity ahead of the November midterms.<\/p>\n
Platner became a populist hero among the party’s left flank, pulling far ahead of an establishment-backed candidate, Gov. Janet Mills, in the primary. Now, if he quits the contest, progressive groups are demanding that the state’s Democratic Party choose a similarly shake-up-the-system candidate to replace him.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo the Democratic establishment: This is not your opening,\u201d said Joseph Geevarghese, who leads an organization founded by Sanders, Our Revolution. After withdrawing its endorsement of Platner, the group said Tuesday that it was \u201crallying behind\u201d another progressive contender.<\/p>\n
Joanie Monteith, a passionate supporter from the southern Maine town of York who organized a trivia night about Platner in March, said through tears Tuesday that she was devastated by the news. She was waiting for another public statement from Platner before making a decision about whether she could keep supporting him.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m numb, and I\u2019m waiting for what Graham has to say,” she said. “I\u2019m trying not to be a part of this public trial. And I\u2019m heartbroken. And I\u2019m heartbroken for him and his wife.\u201d<\/p>\n
She added that she believes the allegations are serious.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not going to blame a victim. Because if this is true I feel very bad for the woman,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Jenny Racicot, who lives in Maine, told Politico that Platner entered her home in 2021 while drunk and assaulted her. Racicot said she had been in an on-and-off relationship with Platner, but she cut off contact with him after that night and told him the incident wasn\u2019t consensual. She said in a CNN interview on Monday evening that she opted not to fight back for fear of Platner, a former Marine, becoming more violent.<\/p>\n
Another Maine voter, Lee Holman, said she wants Platner to stay in the race.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel like the people of Maine have spoken,\u201d the Democrat said. \u201cIf they wanted Janet Mills, they could have voted for her.\u201d<\/p>\n
She said the allegation against Platner may be legitimate, but she questions the timing. Democrats, she added, can be too quick to \u201cthrow the baby out with the bathwater\u201d by calling on politicians facing allegations to resign.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery time we think we have a chance to snatch our democracy back, something gets in the way,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The pressure for Platner to withdraw from the Senate race has only increased given the short deadlines Maine law allows for replacing general election candidates.<\/p>\n
There is no mechanism for Democrats to remove Platner from the ballot, meaning Platner must first opt to drop out of the general election before a replacement can be selected. The deadline to withdraw is 5 p.m. on July 13.<\/p>\n
Just who should replace Platner if he drops out appeared to be further splintering Democrats. Some argued the next Democrat should echo Platner’s progressive messaging, pointing to his success at rallying voters across the state. Others cautioned that having ties to Platner will only doom an already uphill campaign against Collins.<\/p>\n
Joe Baldacci, a Democratic state senator, said he\u2019s concerned about what the latest allegations will do to the voter excitement over the past year.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think the major concern, even with a nominee, a new replacement, is that person is going to start very much behind the eight ball,\u201d Baldacci added.<\/p>\n
Mills, who sought the Democratic nomination but dropped out before the June 9 primary, could be considered as a nominee. Mills was supported by Democratic Senate leader Chuck Schumer but abandoned her campaign saying she couldn’t raise the money needed to compete.<\/p>\n
Another possible replacement is Troy Jackson, Maine\u2019s former state Senate President, who unsuccessfully ran to be the Democratic gubernatorial nominee earlier this year with the backing of Platner and Sanders.<\/p>\n
While Jackson hasn\u2019t publicly said he\u2019d run for the Maine Senate seat, he did file paperwork Tuesday to launch a Senate exploratory committee with the Federal Election Committee.<\/p>\n
Our Revolution, the organization Sanders founded, said Tuesday it is backing Jackson in an early push to get a progressive out front.<\/p>\n
\u201cRemember: Progressives overwhelmingly won the primary. A progressive MUST be on the ballot,\u201d the organization said in a fundraising email, which described Jackson as a logger and union leader who helmed Sanders’ past presidential efforts in Maine.<\/p>\n
Another possible contender, Nirav Shah, the former director of Maine\u2019s Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said Tuesday he was \u201cevaluating\u201d whether to join the race should Platner depart. Shah came in second in this year\u2019s Maine Democratic gubernatorial primary, where he was considered more moderate compared with Jackson.<\/p>\n
Jordan Wood, a former U.S. Senate candidate who then switched to unsuccessfully run for Maine’s 2nd District, posted Tuesday that he was \u201ccontinuing conversations\u201d with voters about joining the race.<\/p>\n
Other names include Shenna Bellows, the current Maine Secretary of State; Dan Kleban, founder of Maine Beer Co.; Maine U.S. Rep. Jared Golden, who is not running for reelection; as well as Hannah Pingree, currently Maine’s Democratic gubernatorial nominee.<\/p>\n
Kruesi reported from Providence, R.I. and Bedayn from Austin, Texas.<\/p>\n
\n ![\"FILE](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/5ce04e85fc3f43a3faa90366dc3cd3a3_Election_2_26_Platner__9_77.jpg.webp\")
<\/p>\nFILE – Graham Platner, Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., left, join hands at an event in Orono, Maine, May 24, 2026. (AP Photo\/Robert F. Bukaty, File)<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"LONDON (AP) \u2014 Sure, Naomi Osaka is a four-time Grand Slam champion who also impresses with her fashionable…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":54703,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[36262,2285,33768,1440,3493,8,3457,23628,85,2536,453,31581,13847],"class_list":["post-54702","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-osaka","tag-36262","tag-ap-news","tag-department","tag-election","tag-georgia","tag-japan","tag-justice","tag-naomi","tag-osaka","tag-sport","tag-trump","tag-wimbledon","tag-workers"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54702","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=54702"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54702\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/54703"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=54702"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=54702"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=54702"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"Karolina](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/2fccdf2f6aa572352613e6735eb73a2e_Britain_Wimbledon_Tennis__3953.jpg.webp\")
<\/p>\n![\"Naomi](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/2fccdf2f6aa572352613e6735eb73a2e_Britain_Wimbledon_Tennis_41129.jpg.webp\")
<\/p>\n![\"Naomi](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/2fccdf2f6aa572352613e6735eb73a2e_Britain_Wimbledon_Tennis_9_387.jpg.webp\")
<\/p>\n![\"Naomi](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/2fccdf2f6aa572352613e6735eb73a2e_Britain_Wimbledon_Tennis_446_1.jpg.webp\")
<\/p>\n![\"Karolina](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1783457413_45_2fccdf2f6aa572352613e6735eb73a2e_Britain_Wimbledon_Tennis__3953.jpg.webp\")
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