Graham Platner, the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in Maine, announced on July 6 that he was "taking time to reflect" following a Politico report that he sexually assaulted a woman in 2021. If he values the state he loves and values the Democratic cause, he will do more than reflect – he will exit the race.

The story is the final blow to a campaign that was marred by Platner’s past. He already answered for a tattoo resembling a Nazi symbol, concerning Reddit posts and extramarital affairs earlier in the campaign.

But this new accusation is different, perhaps in part because it is the latest in a concerning pattern of behavior. The candidate has lost any grace he had earned through his politics.

Democrats, both within the state of Maine and nationally, have abandoned Platner. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, told him to drop out of the race. The establishment is right to do so – there is no way that Platner can win in the November midterm elections with these sorts of allegations trailing him, and Democrats shouldn't want him representing the party.

What are the allegations........

© USA TODAY