Recent sexual misconduct allegations against Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner threaten to derail his campaign, marking the second time in this election cycle that a major party candidate has faced an exit due to such claims.

Just the News reported Tuesday night that this raises questions about whether the Democratic Party was aware of its candidates' potentially damaging pasts or simply failed to properly vet them.

Platner’s outsider campaign had captured the attention of both Maine voters and the American political establishment, leading his rival, Governor Janet Mills, to effectively drop out of the race months before the June primary. This occurred despite her campaign being mired in scandals from the start, including controversial Reddit posts, text messages regarding an extramarital affair, and a Nazi Totenkopf tattoo.

However, new allegations surfacing last Monday—claiming he sexually assaulted a woman he was dating while intoxicated several years ago—have led key Democratic figures to withdraw their support and demand his resignation. He has temporarily suspended his campaign to "consider the best path forward" to defeat Republican Senator Susan Collins in November.

This suspension comes about three months after Democratic Representative Eric Swalwell dropped his California gubernatorial bid following allegations of sexual misconduct involving multiple women, including a former aide who alleged he sexually assaulted her.

Swalwell dismissed the accusations as "completely false," a statement nearly identical to the one Platner made regarding his own allegations this week.

In particular, questions are mounting as to why these allegations against Swalwell did not surface until his gubernatorial campaign was in full swing, given that he had served in Congress for over a decade and was a key figure within the party during his time in Washington. The Department of Justice opened an investigation into Swalwell this past April.

The Platner scandal has led some prominent figures on the left to admit they misjudged the 41-year-old progressive oyster farmer due to his policy positions, and that they overlooked signs that he might not be as strong a candidate as they had hoped.

"I deeply regret being charmed by Platner’s political charisma and writing that he was 'nothing like the swaggering figures I'd encountered online,'" wrote New York Times columnist Michelle Goldberg. "Instead, it seems he is much worse."

Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) told Fox News, "I want to call Bernie Sanders and tell him to apologize for defending this kind of predator, more than anyone else he helped get elected," adding, "Maybe he should stop defending these communists."

Republicans are skeptical of claims that the Democratic Party was unaware of his character flaws and past harmful behavior.

Wall Street Journal columnist Bill McGurn told Fox News on Monday that the "most horrible part" about Platner and his past is that "they knew all this and went ahead anyway."

Tom Fitton, president of the watchdog group Judicial Watch, noted on X, "The left's response to the Platner situation is a classic tactic," pointing out that "they downplayed charges of physical abuse and false imprisonment when the accuser was a conservative, but now that he is charged with rape, they are 'acting shocked' and scrambling to force him out of the race to nominate someone else."

Platner has until July 13 to withdraw from the race, which would allow the state party to handpick his successor.

While Maine Democrats have urged Platner to step down and party organizations have stated they will not support him, Just the News reported that all sides agree the Maine Senate race is one of the most critical for Democrats to win if they hope to secure a majority in the Senate.

Maine and North Carolina, where former Governor Roy Cooper is running against Republican nominee Michael Whatley, are considered must-win seats for Democrats to take the Senate majority in this year's midterm elections.

"This Senate election comes at a critical moment in the fight against a government that, supported by Senator Collins, represents only the interests of the wealthy and powerful at the expense of ordinary Maine residents," the Maine Democratic Party said in a statement. "The focus of this campaign must remain on that very fight."

The Cook Political Report analyzed that if Platner does not drop out by the deadline and stays in the race, the contest would tilt heavily toward the incumbent, Susan Collins (R).

Conversely, if Platner withdraws and the Democrats nominate a popular replacement in time, the race would likely return to a dead heat.

While there is widespread speculation that the Maine Democratic Party might push for Governor Janet Mills or one of the candidates who lost the gubernatorial primary, nothing has been decided.

However, Just the News noted that if he refuses to withdraw by Monday, he will be confirmed as the party's candidate, and much of the party leadership that rushed to distance themselves from him may be forced to reluctantly accept his candidacy.

U.S. NNP = Representative Editor-in-Chief Sung Ku Hong / Special Correspondent for NNP info@newsandpost.com