Graham Platner, the oysterman-turned-Marine-turned-Democratic-senate-hopeful, has suspended his campaign after a sexual assault allegation surfaced, proving once again that the road to political glory is paved with scandals and bad decisions.

The allegation, published by Politico just over 48 hours before Platner's announcement, came from an ex-girlfriend who claimed an intoxicated Platner entered her home uninvited in 2021 and sexually assaulted her. Platner denies the allegation, but his political support evaporated faster than a puddle in July.

Platner's campaign was a wild ride from the start: he beat a popular governor, built a grassroots network of over 15,000 supporters, and was endorsed by progressive heavyweights Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. But earlier controversies - offensive social media posts, a chest tattoo with Nazi connotations, and sexually explicit texts sent after his 2023 marriage - didn't stop 72% of Maine Democrats from voting for him in the June primary. The sexual assault allegation, however, was the final straw. Within hours, state and national Democrats, including Warren and Sanders, withdrew their backing. The national party cut off funding.

Now Democrats are scrambling to find a replacement before the July 27 deadline. The state party will hold a convention to select a new nominee, but tensions are high between Platner's passionate base and the establishment that never wanted him in the first place. "So much of Platner's base will sit on their hands and be very angry if it looks like this is another case of the establishment triumphing over what the people want," said James Melcher, a University of Maine at Farmington politics professor.

The stakes are high: Democrats need to flip four Republican-held Senate seats to take control, and Maine is a must-win. But with Collins, a five-term incumbent who has survived tougher challenges, waiting in the wings, the path forward looks about as smooth as a gravel road. As Melcher put it, "Beating Collins was always going to be hard." Now it's just hard with a side of chaos.