Sanders urges Platner to drop Maine Senate bid after assault allegation

Party members weigh course correction after Platner case

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders urged progressive Democrat Graham Platner to drop his Maine Senate bid, a day after a woman Platner had been romantically involved with publicly alleged he had sexually assaulted her, The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday. Sanders had been one of Platner’s biggest supporters, even after past allegations about Platner’s private life had surfaced, the Journal reported.

The Wall Street Journal’s Washington coverage chief Damian Paletta described Wednesday three issues facing the Democratic Party as it tries to win Senate and House seats in November: a leftward shift driven by Sanders and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, persistent internal divisions after the party’s 2024 losses, and the risk of unvetted candidates.

Many establishment Democrats are concerned about the consolidation of message authority around Sanders and Mamdani, the Journal reported. The party could emerge from the November elections divided into three coalitions — center-left, left, and far left — with uncertain ability to coalesce, according to the report.

Democrats released a report two months ago examining their 2024 losses, the Journal reported. That led to more finger-pointing and infighting. The Platner case has intensified demands for a course correction, though many people calling for such a shift have not agreed on what that correction should be, according to the Journal.

Platner was seen as a candidate who seemed tailored for Maine, the Journal reported. He was later “buried by a skyscraper built of scandals,” the publication wrote. Many of the allegations against Platner were ones that party vetting systems never uncovered, and some that vetters knew about but dismissed, the Journal reported.

In Michigan and Texas, Democrats are pinning their Senate hopes on other candidates who have never faced a huge national spotlight before, according to the Journal. The publication questioned whether the party would step up its vetting now.

The party has virtually no power in Washington but needs to win multiple Senate seats in November to control the chamber. MSI previously reported that Democrats need four Senate seats as 2026 races show unpredictability.

The Commerce Department said Tuesday that the U.S. trade deficit widened 42% in May, the Journal reported. The Federal Reserve’s June policy meeting minutes are to be released Wednesday afternoon and are expected to show rising concern about inflation, according to the report.