Patrick Dempsey wrote in a recent op-ed for the Portland Press Herald that he gave “real thought” to running for Senate in Maine after the Democratic nominee Graham Platner was hit with sexual assault allegations. However, he ultimately decided to leave the job for someone more qualified.

“Over the past several days, I’ve been asked a question more than once: Would you ever run for the United States Senate?” Dempsey wrote. “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.”

He later added, “After a lot of thought, I 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 asserted that the next two weeks, during which Democrats will scramble to find a replacement nominee who will take on Republican incumbent Susan Collins, will be a “very important time for Maine.” He hopes the new candidate “offers a new approach to how we govern ourselves.”

Platner posted a video to social media on Wednesday afternoon in which he announced plans to suspend his campaign operations. He said that his team is “not doing it because of the allegations,” but because “the structures that are being taken away from us by those in power.”

He added, “We were asking for real democracy and we did it the right way and we won. But now the ball is in the court of the Democratic establishment. My name might be on the ballot right now, but that ballot line belongs to the people of Maine. And on November 3rd, it needs to belong to the people of Maine. And the next Democratic senator for Maine needs to belong to the people of Maine. They need to reflect the will and the values of the people of this state.”