Steve Phillips told us we’d soon learn the gravity of the allegations—that a woman had told her partner and therapist that Platner entered her home unannounced and raped her—and that they’d be enough for Platner to finally drop out. Troy Jackson, another working-class Mainer would be the ideal pick to replace him on the ticket, Phillips explained.

But should Platner ever have been selected in the first place? As columnist Katha Politt reminds us, political strategists Dan Moraff and Leanne Fan selected Platner after just a single meeting with the rusticator, feeling wooed by his background, his “gravelly voice,” and his charisma.

Another reason Platner made it this far: the voters’ loathing of the Democratic establishment. As Jeet Heer explains, a desire for something different is understandable, but Platner’s crash out was also inevitable.

-Alana Pockros

Associate Editor, The Nation