Democrat Senate candidate Graham Platner of Maine on Wednesday promised to formally withdraw from the race, after a string of controversies including an accusation of sexual assault plunged one of the most competitive races in the 2026 midterm elections into turmoil. The suspension by the former U.S. Marine, announced in a video posted on social media, is likely to complicate Democrats’ efforts to win control of the Senate in the Nov. 3 elections. Republicans currently hold a 53-47 majority. In the recorded video, Platner repeated his denial of the sexual assault accusation and said the effort to remove him from the ballot was fueled by his effectiveness in taking on the political establishment. “For the movement to continue, it can’t be me, and for that reason we are suspending campaign operations,” Platner said. “This is incredibly difficult, because I know that some will think it’s an admission of guilt, and it most certainly is not.” “I want to make clear, though, I intend to file my paperwork to withdraw,” he said. Platner has until July 13 to formally withdraw from the race, at which point the state party would have until July 27 to select another nominee to challenge Sen. Susan Collins, a moderate Republican who has held the seat since 1997. Shortly before Platner posted his video, the Maine Democratic Party issued a statement confirming it would hold a nominating convention should he drop out. More than 100 state committee members of the Maine Democratic Party met on Wednesday and approved the proposal for a convention, party leaders said in a statement. Media reports said some 600 party members would participate. “Transparency is of the utmost importance,” they said. When Platner’s campaign was ascendant, the race in Maine had been widely considered one of the Democrats’ best opportunities to pick up a seat in Senate, highlighting the stakes in selecting his replacement. ‘McDreamy’ Says He Won’t Run Several potential replacement candidates are already drawing attention, although actor Patrick Dempsey said he would not seek the nomination. Dempsey, best known as Dr. Derek “McDreamy” Shepherd on the television show “Grey’s Anatomy,” said in an op-ed published in the Portland Press Herald that he had considered seeking the job, but opted against it because “I believe I can contribute more effectively through the life I’ve already built.” Many Democrats had already questioned Platner’s fitness for office before Politico reported on Monday that a woman accused him of forcing her to have sex with him nearly ⁠five years ago. CNN followed with a report that the woman accused him of entering her home without permission and raping her while he was intoxicated. Platner flatly denied the allegations. On Tuesday, the Washington Post reported that a former girlfriend of Platner’s said he repeatedly removed condoms during sex without her consent, an allegation that Platner’s campaign called “categorically false and politically motivated.” Democrat leaders and Sen. Bernie Sanders had called on Platner to withdraw from the race. Prominent members of Congress rescinded their endorsements of him and leaders of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee said they would withhold funding from the race if Platner remained on the ballot. The departure may signal the end of Platner’s rapid political rise, as he tapped into a current of progressive politics by promoting a universal national healthcare system and working-class themes while directing criticism at billionaires and concentrated wealth. Platner has faced a series of other controversies, including offensive Reddit posts he apologized for and a now-covered tattoo that resembled a Nazi symbol. The Wall Street Journal reported that Platner’s wife, Amy Gertner, had told the campaign her husband sent sexually explicit texts to several women early in their marriage. In a video message, Gertner said the two had a “great marriage.” Platner has acknowledged poor behavior in the past and asked for forgiveness, saying he struggled with alcohol abuse and mental health issues after military deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan. Battle Over Replacment In the lead-up to Platner’s announcement on Wednesday, his campaign and Democratic Party leaders feuded publicly over the process to replace him. “Both the state and national parties cut our team, our volunteers and our vast networks of supporters out of the conversation completely,” Ben Chin, Platner’s campaign manager, said in a message to supporters. Maine Democratic Party Executive Director Devon Murphy-Anderson said the Platner campaign’s “false accusations” were a distraction from defeating Collins. “While we may be frustrated with Graham Platner’s continued efforts to manipulate this process, we are so thankful for his supporters and all of their efforts to defeat Susan Collins,” she said, calling them “a vital part of our party” who “deserve to participate in an open process to select Platner’s replacement.”  Reporting by Nolan D. McCaskill and Richard Cowan in Washington and Daniel Trotta in Carlsbad, California; Editing by Andy Sullivan, Will Duham and Edmund Klamann

Earlier this year, Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick announced the 2026 interim legislative charges, directing lawmakers to examine the exploitation of surrogacy and review the unethical and foreign interests operating within Texas’ surrogacy and fertility industries. On Wednesday, the Texas Senate Committee on Health and Human Services heard testimony on foreign nationals contracting with Texas surrogates to have children.  The hearing comes as birth tourism has become a serious issue within the state, with some hospitals facing criticism for advertising birth services to foreign nationals seeking to give birth in the state. Mission Regional Medical Center, which was accused of advertising birth tourism services, is currently under investigation by the Texas Health and Human Services Commission. During the hearing, Jennifer Lahl, founder of The Center for Bioethics and Culture Network, recommended lawmakers take action to halt international surrogacy arrangements. “My recommendations would be, close your borders, close all secure international surrogacy arrangements, whether they be commercial or altruistic,” Lahl said. The committee also heard testimony from Vanessa Sivadge, a pediatric nurse and president of Protecting Texas Children, who urged lawmakers to protect Texas women and children. “Today, many are becoming aware that our laws can be exploited by foreign nationals seeking to secure the rights and privileges of American citizenship through children in the United States,” Sivadge said. “While much attention has been given to birthright tourism, we cannot ignore the role that commercial surrogacy now plays in this growing industry.” Sivadge said the industry relies on recruiting vulnerable women to carry pregnancies for others by offering financial compensation that many find difficult to refuse. In Texas, a first-time surrogate can earn $50,000 to $65,000, with experienced surrogates earning between $70,000 to $90,000 or more. “In light of the Supreme Court’s ruling, Texas has an opportunity and a responsibility to ensure that our laws protect vulnerable women from exploitation, safeguard the welfare of children, and prevent our state from becoming a destination for those seeking to exploit loopholes in our citizenship laws,” Sivadge said. Todd Bensman, a senior research fellow at The Heritage Foundation, told the Daily Signal the issue ultimately belongs before Congress, but said he supports Texas taking action as Congress likely won’t. “I would applaud Texas for blazing a path at this particular problem. It’s a unique grey area in the law,” Bensman said. Bensman said that if Congress won’t take it up, Texas should lead the way and prosecute birth tourism fraud. “I think that birth tourism, that’s fraud, that’s going to be criminal,” he said. “If they can find a criminal nexus to foreign nationals coming in and having babies in the state, filing state paperwork of different kinds to regularize the kid, making under-oath statements to police and hospitals and the state agencies, maybe there’s something there for the attorney general to investigate as a way forward,” he said. Ammon Blair, a senior fellow for the Secure and Sovereign Nation initiative at Texas Public Policy Foundation, also told the Daily Signal that lawmakers have several options to combat the issue. “I think there are several meaningful actions Texas lawmakers can take, but the first step is separating three issues that are often conflated: birthright citizenship, federal immigration admission and enforcement, and the commercial or organized infrastructure operating inside Texas that facilitates birth-tourism or foreign surrogacy schemes,” Blair said. The 90th Texas Legislative Session is scheduled to convene on Jan. 12, 2027.

The Maine Democratic Party is working “around the clock” to replace Graham Platner, but as the Democrat Senate nominee, he has leverage—and he’s using it. A civil war is brewing in Maine. As calls continue for Platner to step down, he has stayed silent and continues to deny multiple allegations of sexual assault. According to the state’s election law, if he withdraws from the race by Friday, the Maine Democratic Party can replace him with a candidate of its choice. On a private call with his staff Monday evening, after the most recent allegations were made public, Platner said he still has leverage to influence their decision. Democrat Senate Candidates across the country jumped ship last night after their leadership and Super PAC announced they were condemning Platner and “redirecting resources away from the Maine Senate race."The same party and PAC stood by him through countless allegations of… pic.twitter.com/1um5T9t1uy— Virginia Grace McKinnon (@virginiagmck) July 7, 2026 A spokesperson for the local party says the process will be “open, inclusive, transparent, and fair,” and will ensure “the integrity of this process is just as inclusive as the outcome.” The state Democratic Party claims Platner is attempting to put his “thumb on the scale” of who will represent Democrats in November. However, voters chose Platner less than a month ago. The progressive candidate won more than 72% of the vote in the Democrat primary, forcing Gov. Janet Mills out of the race. In 2024, a different thumb was on the scale when the Democrat establishment removed President Joe Biden from the ticket and crowned Vice President Kamala Harris as the nominee without a single primary vote. In a text blast to campaign volunteers, Platner’s campaign manager, Ben Chin, slammed the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee for planning a “potential nominating process behind closed doors.” NEW: Ben Chin, campaign manager for Graham Platner in #MESEN, blasted out a mass text Chin slams the Maine Dem Party for allowing the DSCC to send staffers to plan "a nominating process behind closed doors" It also includes a Survey Monkey link for feedback? pic.twitter.com/uFY0MgtSQ4— Ally Mutnick (@allymutnick) July 8, 2026 “Both the state and national parties cut our team, our volunteers, and our vast networks of supporters out of the conversation completely. We firmly believe that the supporters and volunteers who built this movement deserve to have a real role in any nomination process,” Chin wrote. It is now a fight between the Democrat establishment—the committee, which controls the nomination process—and Platner’s campaign, which gets to decide if he will exit the race. Potential Replacements Progressive Troy Jackson Former Maine Senate President Troy Jackson, a friend and former supporter of Platner, is the most likely replacement. Following Platner’s most recent sexual assault allegation, Jackson called for Platner to step down. He said he is “very interested” in replacing Platner and would be “the best person” to do so. On Tuesday, Jackson filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission to begin fundraising for a possible bid. However, he has not made a formal announcement. Last month, he finished last in the gubernatorial campaign. Unlike Platner, Jackson has an extensive career in politics, including nearly 20 years in Maine. Like Platner, he is among the more progressive options. Maine Democratic Party calls for Platner to drop out of the race so they can nominate a new candidate. Spox says Platner’s team is attempting to put their“thumb on the scale” of the new nomination. The party has reiterated Platner will have “no role” in determining the new…— Virginia Grace McKinnon (@virginiagmck) July 8, 2026 Gov. Janet Mills Mills, 77, withdrew her nomination before the primary election last month. She represents the Democrat establishment but was pushed out by Platner’s success. This may be a chance for the committee to put her back in the race. Brewery Owner Dan Kleban Maine Beer Company co-founder Dan Kleban has thrown his hat back in the race, announcing his interest in the nomination if Platner drops out. He originally ran against Mills and Platner but quickly withdrew to support the governor in the primary. However, his statement announcing renewed interest sounded more like Platner’s than Mills’. “We’re all sick and tired of a system that’s been rigged by corporate interests, and we’ve had enough meddling from Washington establishment insiders and New York City consultants trying to dictate who represents us. It’s time for a new generation of leadership in Washington, one that’s not beholden to the establishment that has failed us time and time again,” he wrote. Nirav Shah Nirav Shah, a former Maine health official who led the state’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention during the COVID-19 pandemic, is well known and liked in the state and placed second in the gubernatorial campaign. In a statement released Tuesday, Shah laid out suggestions for Democrat candidates vying for the nomination. He suggested anyone running should agree to at least one televised debate and multiple town halls, which he plans to do. The Democratic Party has not responded to this suggestion. Secretary of State Shenna Bellows Shenna Bellows, the secretary of state, might have another chance to go up against Republican Sen. Susan Collins. In 2014, she lost decisively to Collins. Bellows also ran for governor but did not place well.

A conservative watchdog group has sued the Department of Homeland Security seeking data on the “actual” number of deportations of illegal immigrants. The Oversight Project filed two lawsuits this week in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia under the Freedom of Information Act, claiming that “inflated” deportation counts have enabled some Republicans to push softer immigration policies. “In order for deportation public policy choices to be appropriately informed, we need ACTUAL DEPORTATION DATA,” Jeff Clark, the vice president of litigation for the Oversight Project, posted on X Wednesday. In order for deportation public policy choices to be appropriately informed, we need ACTUAL DEPORTATION DATA.This why we brought two suits yesterday in order to get that information for the American people. https://t.co/w3c9MPPbPl pic.twitter.com/DiJwCjUIIn— Jeff Clark (@JeffClarkUS) July 8, 2026 “This why [sic] we brought two suits yesterday in order to get that information for the American people,” added Clark, a former assistant attorney general and the former acting administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs during President Donald Trump’s first term. The Department of Homeland Security did not respond to an inquiry for this story by publication time. The Oversight Project notes that the Mass Deportation Coalition, of which it is a member organization, has also called for transparency. “Deportation numbers should be publicly available and accompanied with meaningful metrics and data to support them. It used to be this way and restoring transparency would build trust and excitement in the progress along the way,” Mike Howell, president of the Oversight Project, said in a public statement. It’s possible to surpass the deportations of President Dwight Eisenhower, Howell said. “With strong data, the public will be able to both understand what is happening and also what could be happening,” Howell added. “This is particularly important as we measure activity related to worksite enforcement, which is the key pillar of a mass deportation program and largely how President Eisenhower did it and why he still holds the record that I hope President Trump beats.” The Oversight Project is calling for the deportation numbers to be released with the same transparency and regularity that the government releases other numbers, such as the monthly jobs report. In May, the Oversight Project sent eight targeted public records requests to the agency and announced its “Two Commas Compliance Tracker,” aiming to update the tracker with accurate deportation numbers. The DHS did not respond to the requests, so the Oversight Project then filed two separate lawsuits to compel the department to produce the documents.  One of the lawsuits sought records to justify the Department of Homeland Security’s claim from January that more than 3 million illegal immigrants had left the United States—675,000 of them removed by DHS, and an estimated 2.2 million self-deporting. The Oversight Project contends its actions are backing up one of Trump’s core campaign promises to “carry out the largest deportation operation in American history.” The group also points to White House border czar Tom Homan telling the Washington Examiner in May 2026, “we need to be transparent, because my concern was if we’re not transparent, show the American people what we’re doing, who we’re arresting, then we’ll lose faith of the American people on immigration enforcement and historic level.” The Oversight Project contends the information should already be available, noting that Immigration and Customs Enforcement published a report covering deportations from fiscal years 2020 through 2024. Further, in the DHS budget request to Congress, the agency asserted it removed and returned 442,637 aliens in fiscal year 2025.

Gov. Greg Abbott is calling for new AI data centers to be blocked from development in rural neighborhoods across Texas amid growing backlash over their effects on residential communities and water supplies. During a property tax event in Bullard, a rural community located south of Tyler, Abbott said he would push back against AI data centers seeking to build in neighborhoods, adding that companies should pay their own way. He also said he wants to eliminate the tax breaks companies receive for locating in Texas. “I’ve made it clear already: Any AI data center thinking about coming here, they have to bring their own money, bring their own power, use their own water, and do it in a way that reduces the cost of electricity for residents across our state,” Abbott said. “We must prohibit them from building AI data centers in rural Texas neighborhoods, and we must eliminate the tax break they are getting.” Abbott’s remarks contrast sharply with a November 2025 press release in which he praised AI data centers and called Texas the “epicenter of AI development.” “This is a Texas-sized investment in the future of our great state,” Abbott said at the time. “Texas is the epicenter of AI development, where companies can pair innovation with expanding energy.”  “We must ensure that America remains at the forefront of the AI revolution, and Texas is the place where that can happen,” he added.  Since then, Abbott has shifted his position. In June, the governor sent a letter to Thomas Gleeson, chairman of the Public Utility Commission of Texas, and Pablo Vegas, president and chief executive officer of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, instructing them to “guarantee any data center development does not come at the cost of Texans and our local communities.” Abbott’s letter directed the utility commission to ensure that the data centers’ interconnections reduce residential electricity costs, require developers to pay for all electric infrastructure without passing costs on to residential ratepayers, and have both the Public Utility Commission of Texas and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas review their existing authorities to identify additional actions that could protect Texas residents, their property, and resources. Abbott’s latest comments go a step further, calling for AI data centers to be prohibited from being built in rural neighborhoods. The proposal comes as many rural residents have raised concerns about the facilities’ noise, electricity demand, water consumption, and the limited number of permanent jobs created by the centers. Last month, San Marcos became the first Texas city to ban data centers in a 4-3 city council vote. Residents argued the facilities would strain the Edwards Aquifer and increase electricity demand around the clock. Communities across North Texas have also voiced opposition to proposed data centers. Residents from Fort Worth to Henderson County have raised concerns about agricultural impacts, local water supplies, noise, and pollution. Carson Clayton, the campaign director for an energy-education initiative at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, said the opposition from rural communities is not surprising. “Rural Texas has had to deal with wind and solar being built out in their area, battery storage being built out in their area. Many of them are dealing with these high-voltage transmission lines being built out, and now they have data centers,” Clayton told the Daily Signal. “This isn’t out of nowhere; this is, for many people, the last straw.” Clayton said the data centers can provide temporary construction jobs, permanent employment opportunities, and additional property tax revenue. However, he said the biggest complain he hears is the lack of communication from developers, particularly regarding construction noise. “A lot of this could be headed off if the data center companies were just a little bit more transparent, a little bit more forthcoming with their plans in that community prior to building out the actual facility,” Clayton said. Another major concern is water consumption. Existing data centers in Texas consume an estimated 25 billion gallons of water annually, which equals out to roughly 4% of the state’s total water use. “There’s not a lot of transparency as to how much water they’re actually using, and water issues are ultra-local,” Clayton said. “I think they need to be transparent up front with what sort of cooling technology they’re using and how much water that’s actually going to require.” Clayton says that he anticipates Texas lawmakers to address the issue during the 90th Legislative Session as they consider what technologies and standards should apply to future data center development.