Anti-Israel Democrat in Maine suspends US Senate campaign after rape accusation

By Agencies and ToI Staff 9 July 2026, 3:34 am

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Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner sports a Totenkopf tattoo on his chest, in an archival video released by Platner himself. The skull-and-crossbones symbol is commonly associated with the Nazi SS. (YouTube screenshot via JTA)

Graham Platner, a scandal-plagued Democratic Senate nominee whose insurgent rise was fueled in large part by his opposition to Israel, ends his campaign after a rape allegation threatened to derail one of his party’s best chances of flipping a Republican-held seat.

“We are suspending campaign operations,” Platner, who prior to the rape accusation faced criticism for long having a Nazi SS Totenkopf tattoo and other allegations of mistreating women, says in a video posted on X. “This is incredibly difficult, because I know that some will think it’s an admission of guilt, and it most certainly is not. We’re not doing it because of the allegations, we’re doing it because of the structures that are being taken away from us by those in power.”