New from Bernie Sanders: "I have spoken with Graham Platner about the best path forward for Maine.

[demmiblue]

New from Bernie Sanders: “I have spoken with Graham Platner about the best path forward for Maine. In light of these very serious allegations, I have recommended that he step aside.”

New from Bernie Sanders: “I have spoken with Graham Platner about the best path forward for Maine. In light of these very serious allegations, I have recommended that he step aside.”

— Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur.bsky.social) 2026-07-07T16:20:51.879Z

[leftstreet]

1. Why hasn't Platner ended his campaign yet?

This just smacks of arrogance

[2naSalit]

2. He thinks he can...

Control who replaces him. He blew it and whatever he wants is not of concern anymore. It's not about what he wants, it's about what the voters want.

I hope they go with the results of the ranked choices in the primary and get on with it.

[leftstreet]

4. Wow. That seems a bit Trumpy

Controlling. Arrogant. Apparently doesn't understand the meaning of consent.

Hmm...

[2naSalit]

7. Indeed...

He was a giant red flag for me when the lame response to the first allegations came out. He never says anything about protecting and restoring women's rights or anything indicating even a smidgen of respect for women or other identities. That's an automatic 'no' for my vote.

He had all the talking points to get people to listen to him, does he actually believe in these things? Hard to say but I doubt it, he has been lying this whole time so how can we think he's going to be good for us in office?

He came out of nowhere and suddenly had a campaign based on big talk with no record. And if you look closer into his record, there's not much there to help us get any idea of what he would do with the power of the people. He seems to have issues with the truth, consent, respect and understanding that lies will come out.

[Escurumbele]

29. Is he another Fetterman? Fetterman is a Democrat only by registration, but his heart and mind are somewhere else.

[2naSalit]

36. Couldn't tell ya...

But I didn't feel he was Senate material.

[WinningAgain]

11. Yea, he's a control freak, thinks he still has options.

Platner won't have a choice much longer. I wonder if him wife will divorce him?

[karynnj]

13. However, because of the rules, he does have leverage

I am glad that Sanders spoke to him in private. I hope Sanders was able to get him to agree to bowing out. The best would be if the Maine party is talking to him about ways to replace him.

He might be more open to the popup caucuses that were mentioned as a possibility yesterday. Although this is an unusual circumstance, that seems a very New England path to take.

It has advantages that they could limit it to Democratic primary voters and, if you register by party, registered Democrats. It also allows him to endorse if he wants to.

[2naSalit]

15. The next...

Highest ranking candidate from the primary should replace him, we already voted in order of preference, just last month so that should be where they make the selection.

Anything else defeats the purpose of the ranked choice option.

[Wiz Imp]

18. Um. He won the primary. He can't be replaced unless/until he agrees to drop out.

[2naSalit]

33. Right...

And when he does, like probably by tomorrow COB. So then, the next ranked candidate who was on the same ballot should be the selection for replacement since we have already voted that preference as second choice after the alleged nominee drops out.

It seems reasonable, to me, that would be the process since actual closure of the election has not taken place.

[GJGCA]

20. Full primary results

Platner 72%

Collins Mills 19.5%

Costello 8%

LaFlamme (write-in) .4%



Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
Natasha Alcala
Tucker Favreau
Dan Kleban
Daira Rodriguez
Jordan Wood


source: https://ballotpedia.org/Democratic_Party_primaries_in_Maine,_2026

[ABC123Easy]

42. Freudian slip?

Collins 19.5%?

Don't you mean Mills?

[GJGCA]

43. Jimminy that's embarrassing

Fixed it, was retyping from one browser tab to another, the common double L's must've caused a memory buffer overload, that's my story...

(Thanks for catching it.)

Mostly I thought enough people were (like me) in the dark as to who came in 2nd, thought I could help...

[karynnj]

21. If that's what Maine wants

The question is whether Mills wants to run. From comments, the field was mostly cleared to make it Platner and Mills. As he got over 70 percent first choice, ranked choice voting will leave Mills as second with under 30 percent as the first one out will be Costello.

[2naSalit]

34. Given those numbers...

From the last run of the selections, sure platner gobbled up a lot of votes. Should the ranking mechanism be enacted by rerunning the choice system or whatever it's called, without platner, Mills would likely have a clear majority.

[AloeVera]

38. People love to vote for their second choice.

A candidate about as far from their first choice in policy and promises as the Big Tent allows.

They'll be stampeding to the polls come November for sure! Not...

I think what would actually defeat the purpose of the ranked choice voting is what you are suggesting.

But it all might be moot anyway. Jared Golden is reported to be fielding calls to run already. Somehow I don't think those calls are coming from Maine.

[Wiz Imp]

19. That's a question for him. He is not required to drop out.

He won the primary. He's the candidate until/unless he drops out. Therefore he has leverage.

[leftstreet]

22. I know. He should think of his supporters

His supporters must be devastated. They gave him every benefit of the doubt, warmed to his narrative of sincere regret and redemption. Wholeheartedly packed rallies and embraced his rich vs poor anti-establishment message.

They'll feel gut punched no doubt, but they need to quickly grieve and move on

[mcar]

25. He's making this all about him, not about Maine or the party

Egotistical jerk.

[Shrek]

24. Ralph Northam playbook n/t

[MakeThemCry]

32. Cuomo never stepped aside, even after he was kicked out for his allegations

And the entire Democratic Party backed him over Mamdani.

Some self-awareness would be nice here OP. Sheeeesh!!!!

[leftstreet]

41. But you just explained it

"the entire Democratic party backed him"

Platner's support from party members has been pretty much absent

Comparing him to Cuomo is silly

[EdmondDantes_]

44. The party shouldn't have supported Cuomo either

Being a sexual predator should be disqualifying for party support.

[Torchlight]

3. Reactions have been swift

In less than 24 hours, four U.S. senators and one representative have publicly withdrawn their support. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and the Maine Democratic Party have also announced immediate restrictions on financial support.

My hope is that if a decision is made and a new candidate is named within the next 72 hours, we can minimize the political damage, refocus the conversation, and give the campaign the best possible chance to move forward. The longer the uncertainty continues, the more difficult it will be to regain momentum and maintain public confidence.

[68er]

5. Actually, it can be become a strength for the next candidate: "Unlike Susan Collins....

...we don't overlook sexual assault."

[mwmisses4289]

30. Oh, snap!

[2naSalit]

9. His detractor list...

Has grown exponentially since your post.

Here's a fork, he's more done than that over boiled piece of whatever alien form it is that resembles rfkjr.

[Wednesdays]

6. Yeah, he's toast.

I expect an announcement within the next 48 hours, if not within 24 hours.

[usonian]

8. Is there time for him to register as a Republican?

They seen to like the allegations, the more the merrier!

Can he get himself convicted? He'd win as a Trumpublican.

Asking for a friend.

[kentuck]

12. I think in today's political climate...

He would probably win in a landslide? The charges are probably a plus for him? The sleazier, the better. He would probably even get a large portion of the MAGA vote?

[usonian]

16. So sorry to say, you're right.

Sleaze Pleases.

[kentuck]

10. Without Bernie, he will have lost a huge source of support...

...and he will likely withdraw.

[Tom Rinaldo]

14. The fact that Bernie spoke with Platner personally about this matters

Many have called for Platner to step aside, few if any of them acknowledge discussing Platner's choice directly with Platner. Bernie was a key supporter for Platner, hearing this directly from Bernie might help Platner come to grips with the dire consequences for Vermont, our nation, and indeed the world, if he insists on still continuing to run.

[DFW]

26. Dire consequences for Vermont?

I would think the dire consequences would be for Maine instead, ¿no?

[Tom Rinaldo]

27. Well, you know, all those small New England States are pretty much the same...

There is Massachusetts, Connecticut, and "the rest of them" are all interchangeable

I guess I just had Bernie on the mind. I figure everyone else were being too polite to point out my dumb mistake, but you sir, are fearless!

[eShirl]

31. the dire consequences of Susan Collins retaining her seat

[orleans]

17. "Bernie Sanders joins Democrats' calls for Graham Platner to drop out of Maine Senate race as window to replace him narr

Bernie Sanders joins Democrats’ calls for Graham Platner to drop out of Maine Senate race as window to replace him narrows – live
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2026/jul/07/graham-platner-democrats-senate-maine-trump-nato-us-politics-latest-news-updates

also on this page:

Representative Rashida Tlaib of Michigan has joined the chorus of Democrats rescinding their endorsements of Graham Platner and urging him to drop out of the Maine Senate race as the window to replace him narrows.

Tlaib wrote on X:

I am withdrawing my endorsement of Graham Platner and calling on him to exit the race immediately so that he can be replaced by a progressive fighter who will deliver for the people and help win back the Senate. These allegations are devastating and must be taken seriously.

[Maru Kitteh]

23. Bernie needs to vet people *before* endorsing, rather than cleaning up

After it goes to crap. It’s one of the biggest reasons I have little trust in Bernie.

[DFW]

40. From December 6, 2017:

Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, an independent who caucuses with the Democratic Party:

“Sen. Franken has said that he will be making an announcement about his political future tomorrow. The right thing is for him to resign........."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
No, the wrong thing was for Al to resign, as Al, himself, realized a few weeks too late.

Sanders (along with a few dozen others, many of whom are still sitting Senators) could also learn from those few of his colleagues that apologized to Al for trashing him too hastily before learning if there was any justification for doing so, or if the whole "scandal" wasn't produced and coordinated (and even announced!!) by Roger Stone. Anyone can make a mistake. If that mistake causes the Democrats to oust a good Senator or nominate one that wasn't the best choice, it takes a mensch (Yiddish meaning, not the German meaning) to admit it.

As for Platner, himself, he knows better than anyone whether there is a lot of solid substance to the allegations against him. If they are groundless, I wouldn't blame him for trying to ride out the storm. If they are accurate, I'm frankly astounded at his inability to realize that ANY skeleton taking up THAT much space in his closet was going to come out dancing sooner or later. I hope that what he knows to be the truth will be his guide to whether he quits the race or not--and VERY quickly, too. Let's not let the Republicans obtain a last free ride for Susan Collins due to media obsession with Platner's personal drama. The next Senator from Maine will be voting on budgets, possibly a Supreme Court nominee or two. The State of Maine, as well as the rest of the country, does not deserve for that vote to be the result of an amateurly staged campaign drama. If the allegations are false, face them and move on. If they are true, face them and move out.

[abbeyco]

28. It's about damned time. NT

[LilElf70]

35. Didn't someone explain to Platner

that only Republicans can get by with this shit?

[OddMom20]

37. I'm scared about more than Graham Platner

It’s the widespread behavior that people will just “shut up and accept it” (I’m talking about voters, not women). Graham Platner was never incredibly appealing to me, nor was John Fetterman. But the simple fact is that both of these men seem to think “accountability” does not apply to them. And that is a very Trump-y behavior. Graham Platner is not much younger than me, and the fact that he appears to have the expectation people will simply ignore this, terrifies me. Has the person in the White House successfully normalized the quiet acceptance of shitty behavior? Or is this the new standard-operating-procedure? If so, I can’t help but feel the road is going to get a LOT rougher….

[dave99]

39. If those that live in Maine want him then he should stay. They in Maine should decide for Maine.

[Dr. T]

45. I remember quite vividly what happened the last time

Democratics abruptly changed candidates late in the game. It didn't end well.