Patrick Dempsey says he will not enter Maine Senate race

Patrick Dempsey said he will not enter Maine’s Senate race, closing off a high-profile fallback option as Democrats search for a way past the Graham Platner crisis. The Maine-born actor said he gave “real thought” to a Senate bid but decided against it, leaving the party without the celebrity name that had begun circulating in internal conversations and polling.

Dempsey’s decision highlights how narrow Democrats’ roster has become in a race they see as one of their best pickup chances in 2026. Alongside Dempsey, party figures had floated former state Senate President Troy Jackson, former Maine CDC director Nirav Shah, state Rep. Valli Geiger, Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows and House Speaker Ryan Fecteau. Dempsey said he could do more through the life and work he has already built outside elected office, while pointing to housing, health care and education as central issues for Maine’s next senator. His work with the Dempsey Center, which provides free cancer support services in Maine, also figured into his decision to stay out.

The opening remains tangled around Platner, who has faced mounting pressure after a new sexual assault allegation prompted Maine and national Democratic leaders to call on him to withdraw on July 6, 2026. Platner denies the accusation and said he was reflecting on his next steps after the allegation, which involved a former partner and dated back five years. The episode has exposed the party’s dependence on finding a substitute quickly, before the contest hardens around an embattled nominee.

Jackson moved fastest. On July 7, 2026, he filed a “testing the waters” committee with the Federal Election Commission as a Draft Troy effort gained momentum, an indication that at least one party figure is preparing for a possible opening. The race itself is already tight: Susan Collins won the Republican nomination on June 9, 2026, is seeking a sixth term, and the general election is set for November 3, 2026. A Times/Portland Press Herald/Siena poll found Platner narrowly ahead of Collins, underscoring why Democrats are reluctant to let the seat drift while they sort out their next move.