Graham Platner to speak at Labor Day rally after ending Senate campaign

Graham Platner, the former Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in Maine, is scheduled to make one of his first major public appearances since abandoning his campaign following a sexual assault allegation. Platner will be the featured speaker at the "Labor Day Rally for Labor" outside Ellsworth City Hall on September 7, 2026.

The event is being organized by Hancock County Activists, a local progressive group, with support from Acadia Action. According to organizers, Platner will speak about the history of unions and the role organized labor has played in Maine communities. The rally is not an official Maine Democratic Party event, and organizers have emphasized it is independently organized. A notice promoting Platner's appearance briefly appeared on a Hancock County Democratic website before being removed.

Platner's planned return comes roughly two months after he withdrew from the Senate race in July. He had won the Democratic primary on June 9, 2026, with about 72 percent of the vote, running as a progressive populist with endorsements from figures like Senator Bernie Sanders. His campaign sought to unseat Republican Senator Susan Collins.

His political rise collapsed after...