Former “Grey’s Anatomy” heartthrob Patrick Dempsey is keeping his Maine political drama strictly offscreen.
In a Tuesday Portland Press Herald opinion piece, the 60-year-old Lewiston native ruled out a Senate bid just as Democrats were scrambling over Graham Platner’s collapse as nominee.
Dempsey, best known for playing Dr. McDreamy on ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy,” acknowledged that multiple people had asked whether he would ever run for Senate.
He noted that the questions “flattering,” but made clear that his answer had settled elsewhere.
‼️‼️ NEW: In @PressHerald Op-Ed Actor @PatrickDempsey says no to running for the US Senate in Maine.
“Whether you’re an elected official, a teacher, a nurse, a business owner, a parent or a volunteer, service begins with one simple question: How can I make someone else’s life a… pic.twitter.com/7pruRT2H07
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“After a lot of thought, I realized the answer is no,” he penned. “Not because public service isn’t honorable — it absolutely is.”
“But because I believe I can contribute more effectively through the life I’ve already built.”
His public-service argument pointed back to the Dempsey Center, created in 2008 during his mother Amanda’s fight with ovarian cancer. According to the center’s website, its work supports hundreds of cancer patients and families.
"It's a beautiful day save to save lives"
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The timing made Dempsey’s answer more than celebrity trivia, because Platner’s campaign suspension has opened a frantic search for a replacement against five-term Republican Sen. Susan Collins.
Platner finally bowed out of the race following ex-girlfriend Jenny Racicot’s allegation that Platner forcibly had sex with her in 2021, adding to controversies over a Nazi tattoo, inappropriate social media posts and his mockery of a veteran.
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Another former dating partner also alleged this week that Platner removed condoms during sex without her consent.
Platner framed the suspension as a political setback, not an admission.
“We are suspending our campaign operations,” he announced. “This is incredibly difficult because I know that some will think it’s an admission of guilt and it most certainly is not.”
My name might be on the ballot right now, but that ballot line belongs to the people of Maine. pic.twitter.com/RKVyLU76tm
— Graham Platner for Senate (@grahamformaine) July 9, 2026
“We’re not doing it because of the allegations, we’re doing it because of the structures that are being taken away from us by those in power,” he added.
His lengthy statement returned to the same denial while casting the campaign as proof of a different kind of politics.
“I wanted to directly address the troubling, serious and false allegations against me,” Platner shared online. “Any allegations of sexually inappropriate behavior is categorically false.”
Before calling it quits, Platner had tried to keep influence over the succession fight, saying voters rather than party insiders should decide the replacement.
CNN reported Tuesday that Devon Murphy-Anderson, executive director of the Maine Democratic Party, accused Platner’s team of trying to “put their thumb on the scale of what this process looks like.”
Murphy-Anderson framed the party’s priority as moving past Platner and his scandals.
“We have reiterated that Graham Platner must drop out of this race so that Democrats in Maine can focus on defeating [Republican Maine Sen.] Susan Collins this November,” she charged.
Platner’s team cast the process as a fight over voters and volunteers.
“While Graham wouldn’t want to be a part of the process, he would want to make sure the voters and volunteers make this decision- not the political establishment,” a campaign spokesperson explained.
In the same message to supporters, Platner accused the Democratic establishment of preferring Collins over him, claiming it “would rather see [Sen.] Susan Collins (R-Maine) win than have me be the next senator from Maine.”
Democratic Maine Gov. Janet Mills reentered the conversation because she had dropped out April 30, leaving Platner as the only viable Democratic candidate at the time, then indicating June 1 that she was “still on the ballot.”
After the June 9 primary, the party’s problem became procedural as well as political.
Maine law gives the state Democratic Party a path to replace Platner if he leaves the ballot by 5 p.m. local time July 13, with a successor due by 5 p.m. July 27.
The Maine Democratic Party had already indicated that a Platner withdrawal would trigger a nominating convention, with additional details promised.
WMTV 8 reported that Platner was allegedly throwing his support behind Democratic State Representative Valli Geiger.
In an account to Maine’s Total Coverage, Geiger said Platner called Monday evening seeking permission to put her name forward.
“He said ‘Valli you are a fighter, you have been with this movement since the beginning’,” she recounted.
Geiger, who represents District 42 in Maine’s House of Representatives, also described herself online as “heartbroken” by the recent sexual assault allegations.
Her post tried to avoid attacking either side. “I will not throw Graham under the bus, but neither will I slander or accuse Ms. Racicot of anything more than telling the truth as she experienced it. I acknowledge the pain on all sides and offer compassion on all sides,” Geiger shared online.
Dan Kleban, owner of Maine Beer Company in Freeport, also stepped forward through a Wednesday Substack post. Kleban framed his pitch as anti-establishment and local.
“I’ve spent years talking to Mainers over a beer in our taproom and throughout the community. 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,” he penned.
He cast the opening as a generational break. “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 again,” Kleban added.
The list of possible replacements includes Troy Jackson, a former Maine Senate president; Nirav Shah, director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention; Shenna Bellows, a former state senator and executive director of the Maine ACLU; and Jordan Wood, former chief of staff to ex-Rep. Katie Porter, D-Calif.
Dempsey’s own preference was for a nominee defined by empathy and service.
Dempsey hoped the new Democratic nominee “offers a new approach to how we govern ourselves.”
“I want someone who leads with empathy,” he wrote. “Someone who listens before speaking, who has the courage to work with people they disagree with and who understands that public office isn’t about power. It’s about service.”
On Wednesday, President Donald Trump addressed the Platner accusations while speaking with reporters on Air Force One.
“It’s really a question of whether or not you believe the woman. A lot of people say big falsehoods,” Trump remarked. “He’s in a bind.”