Rumors had swirled on social media on Monday that Platner could drop out of the contest against GOP Sen. Susan Collins amid speculation that another damning article about his personal conduct was about to drop. Platner had canceled multiple planned events this week and reportedly was not seen much over the July 4 weekend—usually a busy campaigning time for congressional candidates. 

In Politico’s article, published Monday afternoon, 41-year-old Jenny Racicot said she had a nonconsensual encounter with Platner in late 2021, when he allegedly entered her home intoxicated and forced himself on her. Racicot provided the outlet with contemporaneous evidence of the encounter, including messages from years before Platner became a candidate.

Platner denied the allegation, yet he still seems to be contemplating dropping out, saying in his video that Mainers deserve to see Collins defeated this fall. 

Ultimately, Platner doesn’t seem to have made a decision at the moment, but he looks to be moving in the direction of dropping out.

Even left-wing activists who had been pushing Platner’s candidacy are jumping ship, most notably podcaster Hasan Piker, who said on a stream after the Politico story went live, “That is curtains.” 

“That is the trifecta. Okay, that is the trifecta of a reliable allegation,” Piker said. “I believe this allegation.”

It’s possible that political insiders knew of this possible scenario ahead of time. There were polls in the field over the weekend testing how other possible Democratic candidates would fare against Collins in a general election.

One survey from Wedgewood Polls found that Platner was now trailing Collins in the race, 46% to Collins’ 50%, and that 75% of likely voters in Maine said that they would want Platner to drop out if another negative story about his personal life were to be published. 

That same survey asked voters about potential Platner replacements, including former state Senate President Troy Jackson, who lost in the gubernatorial primary in June. The poll found Jackson ahead of Collins, 48% to 43%, in a hypothetical matchup.

Another new poll by Tavern Research, released shortly before Politico’s story, found Platner up by 4 points over Collins. However, it also asked likely voters to rate their feelings toward various possible replacements, including current gubernatorial nominee Hannah Pingree, Maine state Sen. Joe Baldacci, and former “Grey’s Anatomy” star Patrick Dempsey, who was born and raised in Maine. (McDreamy for Senate, anyone?)

Ultimately, according to Maine state law, Platner has until 5 PM on July 13 to drop out and allow the Maine Democratic Party to replace him with another candidate on the ballot. If he does drop out before then, the state party would have until 5 PM on July 27 to choose a replacement.

If he remained in the contest or dropped out after July 13, Democrats would be stuck with Platner or no candidate at all.

Maine is a must-win seat for Democrats this fall as they look to retake the Senate majority. 

The state should be an easy pickup. Former Vice President Kamala Harris handily won it in 2024, and Collins’ job approval rating is low since she has alienated both Democratic and Republican voters in the state with her wishy-washy “concern” and half-hearted attempts to buck her party.

Platner said he wants to see Collins defeated and will make his decision on continuing in the race soon. The clock is ticking.