Democratic establishment pulled ads before Platner rape allegations were public
Turley criticizes Democrats’ vetting process as ‘unserious’ after Maine candidate withdraws
Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner has suspended his campaign, denying guilt, following allegations of sexual assault. Fox News contributor Jonathan Turley criticizes the Democratic Party’s botched vetting process that allowed Platner to remain on the ballot. Campaign strategist Dan Moraff confirmed that the canvassing firm overlooked important details at a time when Democrats in Maine are scrambling to find a new candidate for the Senate race.
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Two political groups aligned with Democrats shifted millions of dollars in scheduled Maine Senate ad bookings days before a rape allegation against former Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner became public, giving Republicans a new line of attack on whether they had lost confidence in their party leaders’ campaign.
WinSenate removed more than $6.2 million from Maine Senate ad bookings, according to a July 2 report from AdImpact, a leading ad tracking and analysis firm that tracks political ads; this includes $5.9 million in broadcast bookings from July 7 to Aug. 31 and $330,000 in cable bookings scheduled to begin June 30. AdImpact also said a separate $240,000 in digital spend was transferred from Majority Forward.
The ad change came about a week before one of Platner’s ex-girlfriends accused him of rape. But Majority Forward denied the change was due to recent campaign turmoil.
The rape allegation, reported by Politico but denied by Platner, brought an end to a campaign already weakened by months of controversy. Platner had faced scrutiny since October 2025 over comments on a deleted Reddit account and a Nazi-related tattoo he acquired while serving in the armed forces. The pressure intensified on June 4 after The New York Times reported that multiple ex-girlfriends had described him as emotionally abusive, which he denied.
WATCH: CHUCK SCHUMER SIDEsteps PLATNER SCANDALS CONFIRM HE SUPPORTS CONtroversial DEM
Graham Platner rejoices and gestures during his emphatic primary victory speech, which prepares him for the race against Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine. (Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg)
“DC Democrats are outraged that Graham Platner came down with a long swan song touting his ‘political order’ coup to silence grassroots progressives,” a GOP official told Fox News Digital. “Chuck Schumer’s ad spending proves he discovers moral clarity only when his midterm strategy is on life support.”
Funding for the ads was directed to a different Democratic committee to reserve ad space in Maine between July 7 and Aug. 31, according to AdImpact.
Majority Forward denied that the spending change was linked to Platner’s campaign turmoil.
“Majority Forward has shifted (c)4 spending to another organization, which is a fairly common practice in issue advocacy campaigns,” a spokesperson for the organization told Fox News Digital. “This change was not related to recent campaign events.”
WinSenate and Majority Forward are closely tied to the Democratic Senate campaign apparatus.
Both organizations are affiliated with the Senate Majority PAC, a wealthy political committee led by allies of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. WinSenate has historically been funded by the Senate Majority PAC, while Majority Forward has shared personnel and costs with the committee.
Before the rape allegation, Schumer declined to comment on Platner’s discussions and stated that he was committed to changing his Maine Senate seat. After the story emerged, Schumer said he was “disturbed” and demanded that Platner “immediately withdraw from the race.”
DAN BONGINO SAYS DEMOCRATS KICKED GRAHAM PLATNER OUT OF ‘POWER’, NOT ‘PRINCIPLE’, AFTER BOMB RAPE ALLEGATIONS
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat from New York, speaks at a news conference following the Senate Democratic policy luncheon at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC, on June 23, 2026. (Daniel Heuer/Bloomberg)
“What did they know and when did they know it?” Journalist Chuck Ross wrote about the ad cancellations in X.
Platner, who withdrew from the race on Wednesday, claimed that the Democratic establishment was sabotaging his campaign.
“It’s not false allegations that brought us to this point,” Platner said of the rape allegations, which he denied in his concession speech on Wednesday. “It’s the fact that they are being used by the political establishment to put structural pressure on us… Those in power who have the power to do this are using these allegations as an excuse to take away everything we need to run a campaign.”
DEMOCRATS EXTEND PLATNER ‘Grace’ DESPITE ABUSE ALLEGATIONS AFTER KAVANAUGH ACCOUNT
Maine Senators Susan Collins and Angus King (Getty)
Platner went through an unusually short review process; According to some, this decision allowed a candidate with significant baggage to go much further than he should have. Most background checks for candidates in key races typically cost tens of thousands of dollars and take weeks to complete, the Wall Street Journal reported; Platner’s took just three days and cost just over $6,000.
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Democrats in Maine plan to hold a nominating convention to determine who will face incumbent GOP Sen. Susan Collins to replace Platner on the November ballot. Although independents can vote in Maine’s Democratic primary, the convention will include only Democratic delegates.
WinSenate and the Platner campaign did not respond to requests for comment from Fox News Digital on Thursday.
