An update on actor Patrick Dempsey’s current health status following rumors of hospitalization
Patrick Dempsey is staying out of politics — for now.
The Grey’s Anatomy alum, racecar driver, and native Mainer will not replace progressive challenger Graham Platner in the hotly contested U.S. Senate race currently playing out in the New England state.
The Democratic nominee who was set to contend with sitting Republican Senator Susan Collins for the seat dropped out of the race on Wednesday, after he was accused of sexual assault on Monday. But in a new op-ed for Portland Press Herald, Dempsey outlined in detail why he’s turning down the chorus of calls for him to step in.
Entertainment Weekly has reached out to representatives for Dempsey and Platner for comment.
“Over the past several days, I’ve been asked a question more than once: Would you ever run for the United States Senate?” Dempsey began. “It’s flattering, and I don’t take it lightly. I love my home state of Maine. I care deeply about the people who live there and, like so many Americans, I’m concerned about the direction our country is heading.”
After giving the proposition a lot of thought — outlined in a manner strikingly similar to a political stump speech — Dempsey wrote, however, that he “realized the answer is no. 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.”
Dempsey cited his work with The Dempsey Center, which offers cancer care and support, as a more fulfilling vision of “what’s possible when people put aside differences and focus on helping one another.”
Platner, a Marine Corps veteran and oyster farmer turned politician, secured an unlikely victory in the race to become Maine’s Democratic challenger to Susan Collins, who has held the Senate seat since 1997.
But his campaign has been embroiled in scandal for a number of months. In October, Platner came under fire when images surfaced of a tattoo that bore similarities to an infamous bit of Nazi iconography. He addressed that speculation, saying got the skull and crossbones inked during his third deployment with the Marines, “because we were Marines and skulls and crossbones are a pretty standard military.”
Then in June, the New York Times published the accounts of six women who were previously romantically involved with Platner and allege various instances of sexual misconduct. And on Monday, 41-year-old Maine resident Jenny Racicot told Politico that Platner forced her to have sex with him despite her numerous objections.
Platner addressed the “very serious allegations” in a video shared to X on Wednesday. “I just want to make it clear, this was all false. The things that have been claimed did not happen.” Nevertheless, Platner continued, “We are suspending campaign operations… This is incredibly difficult, because I know that some will think it’s an admission of guilt, and it most certainly is not.”
Dempsey, meanwhile, has never before publicly expressed interest — his own or anyone else’s — in a run for office.
He has, however, been politically active in Maine, attending then-President Joe Biden’s visit to Auburn in 2023. He has also weighed in Donald Trump’s proposed cuts to welfare programs like SNAP and Medicaid, and even endorsed state politicians like Angus King, the state’s former governor who has served alongside Susan Collins since 2013.