Graham Platner no longer scheduled to speak at Labor Day rally in Ellsworth
Former Senate Nominee Graham Platner Withdraws from Labor Day Rally Amid Allegations
In a decision that reshaped the lineup for a Labor Day rally in Ellsworth, Maine, organizers announced that former Democratic Senate nominee Graham Platner will no longer speak at the event. The rally, scheduled for Monday afternoon, had originally featured Platner as a speaker on the history of labor and the role of unions in the United States.
Platner, who won the Democratic nomination in June, dropped out of the race in July after a Politico investigation revealed that a former girlfriend accused him of sexual assault. The former girlfriend, along with another woman who has alleged domestic abuse, urged event organizers to bar him from speaking. “Graham is not speaking,” said Carol Leonard of Hancock County Activists, a progressive group helping to run the rally. “The media frenzy got just too insane, and we became concerned about safety.”
Instead of addressing the crowd, Platner is slated to lead a veterans’ march that will follow the rally. He is a combat veteran and oyster farmer from the Sullivan area, and has never held elected office. During the campaign he campaigned on working‑class issues such as the high costs of housing and healthcare, and drew support from figures including independent Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders. That backing evaporated as more allegations surfaced.
The controversies that dogged Platner’s brief campaign began in late May when reports emerged that he had sent sexually explicit text messages to several women while he was married. The story was followed by revelations that he had a tattoo recognized as a Nazi symbol—a design he claimed he had not realized was associated with Nazism until weeks into the campaign. He later covered the tattoo with a new piece. Platner also issued an apology for old online comments that contained insulting language about women, police, and rural residents.
After Platner withdrew, Democrats held a nominating convention in July that selected former Maine Senate President Troy Jackson to run against Republican Senator Susan Collins. Jackson, who lost a gubernatorial primary in 2022, had campaigned alongside Platner in the spring but has since distanced himself from the former nominee.
The Ellsworth rally, slated for midday on Labor Day, will feature a lineup of speakers, live music, and the veterans’ march. With the change in speakers, organizers emphasize that the event will proceed as planned, albeit without Platner’s address.
