Poll finds 75% of Maine voters want Graham Platner to drop out after another scandal

A Wedgewood Poll released Monday found that a majority of Maine voters would want Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner to drop out if another scandal surfaces, an outcome that comes as the race remains clouded by allegations and political pressure for the candidate to step aside.

According to the poll, 75 percent of Maine voters said Platner should drop out following another scandal, while 20 percent said he should remain in the race. Five percent of respondents were undecided. The survey results were published the same day as further public reporting about allegations involving Platner, which The Hill said had contributed to a broader churn in the race.

The poll also broke out responses by voter preferences from the 2024 presidential election. Among voters who backed former Vice President Kamala Harris, 65 percent said Platner should drop out and 28 percent said he should stay in. Among voters who backed neither Harris nor President Donald Trump, 78 percent said Platner should drop out, with 13 percent saying he should keep running.

Wedgewood’s findings also showed limited support for staying in the race among different demographic groups. The poll reported that 76 percent of men and 74 percent of women said Platner should step aside, with 19 percent and 21 percent respectively saying he should remain. Across age groups, the poll said roughly three-quarters of respondents favored him dropping out after another scandal.

The poll results arrived amid ongoing debate over the viability of Platner as the Democratic nominee and the strategic landscape for Democrats hoping to challenge Collins. The Hill reported that the polling was posted after earlier discussion online and emphasized that the results reflect voter views conditional on additional scandal surfacing, not a determination of the underlying claims.

Separately, Newsweek reported that Platner has not ruled out withdrawing from the Maine Senate race after additional allegations were publicized, and that Platner denied wrongdoing in response. Both outlets described the situation as an ongoing issue that could affect how voters assess the candidate heading into the general election.

The poll’s conditional framing means it measures a hypothetical reaction to further controversy rather than whether voters believe allegations are true. Still, the large majority calling for him to step aside following another scandal underscores the political difficulty of absorbing additional developments during a high-stakes Senate fight.