The TOI correspondent from Washington: The abrupt collapse of Democrat Graham Platner’s Senate campaign in Maine has thrown one of America’s most closely watched midterm contests into turmoil and revived a recurring question in US politics: how much do allegations of sexual misconduct still matter to voters?Platner, a 41-year-old oyster farmer, harbormaster and Marine Corps veteran from coastal Maine, emerged this year as an unlikely political sensation. Running as an anti-establishment progressive with the backing of Senator Bernie Sanders, he built a formidable grassroots movement and defeated more established Democratic figures to become the party’s nominee against Republican Senator Susan Collins.The race is crucial because Maine is one of the Democrats’ best opportunities to flip a GOP-held Senate seat, where Republicans currently hold a narrow 53-47 Senate majority. Party strategists viewed Collins, despite her moderate image and long political experience, as unusually vulnerable, with polls had shown Platner leading the longest serving Republican woman in the Senate – 30 years with five six-year terms behind her – by several points.Those hopes imploded this week after a former romantic partner accused Platner of sexually assaulting her during an encounter in late 2021 and another former girlfriend alleged that he removed a condom during sex without consent. The accusations came on top of earlier controversies involving offensive online posts and questions about his personal conduct.In a video announcing the suspension of his campaign, Platner called the accusations “all false” but concluded that “for the movement to continue, it can’t be me.” He said he was stepping aside because the controversy had become a distraction from the issues that animated his campaign.Democrats had embraced Platner despite earlier red flags because he appeared to possess something increasingly rare in American politics: the ability to energize progressive voters while also attracting some working-class and even Trump-supporting voters. His insurgent candidacy raised millions of dollars and generated extraordinary enthusiasm in a state where Democrats have struggled to defeat Collins for 30 years. The party is now racing to find a replacementThe scandal also highlights a broader trend in American politics where candidates from both parties have increasingly faced allegations involving sexual misconduct or questionable personal behavior. President Donald Trump himself was found liable in a civil case involving sexual abuse allegations, while several politicians across the ideological spectrum have seen careers damaged – or, in some cases, surprisingly unaffected – by similar accusations. “Platner is out – good. It should’ve happened sooner,” acknowledged Jessica Tarlov, a liberal co-host on the Fox News show The Five. Then she clapped back: “I want to underscore that Republicans don’t get to take a moral victory lap here. They’re still the party of Trump.”Whether such allegations matter electorally has become increasingly difficult to predict. Voters often condemn misconduct in principle but frequently place greater weight on ideology and economic concerns when voting. More broadly, the episode illustrates the paradox of contemporary American politics: allegations of sexual misconduct continue to shock, dominate headlines and sometimes destroy candidacies, but they no longer carry a uniformly fatal political cost in a deeply polarized electorate that increasingly views even questions of character through a partisan lens.
