A progressive Senate candidate is forced out of Maine's race by a rape allegation, framed here as a hit job by wealthy donors against an outsider who won't serve them.

• Graham Platner, who overwhelmingly won the Democratic primary against Susan Collins, suspended his campaign after a Politico story accused him of forcibly raping a woman.
• The claim rests on secondhand accounts and old messages, with no concrete proof, and Platner says it is false and never went to court.
• Politico and CNN left out a text where the woman asked him to come over, then told him not to — context that made him look guiltier.
• The case is cast as coordinated oppo research pushed by big Maine Democratic donors, many tied to AIPAC and corporate money, who wanted the outsider gone.
• His replacement will be picked by 600 party insiders, likely a corporate Democrat expected to lose to Collins anyway.

Outlook: Candidates must file by July 13 and Maine Democrats pick a new nominee by July 27, with the fight now over whether they choose someone aligned with Platner's populist platform or a donor-friendly pick.