WASHINGTON, D.C. — Catholics Vote Common Good calls on Graham Platner, the Democratic nominee for the United States Senate in Maine, to withdraw from the race.

The allegations against Mr. Platner are serious. He has denied them, and they should be resolved through the legal process. But public office is not a right. Those who seek the public's trust are held to a higher standard because leadership itself requires public confidence.

Jesus taught, "From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required." (Luke 12:48) Public service is a calling that demands accountability, humility, and integrity.

That is why the silence surrounding this race is so striking.

Where are the voices that insisted President Joe Biden should abandon his campaign after one poor debate performance?

Where are the voices that demanded Senator Al Franken resign because they believed public confidence alone required it?

If those standards were right then, they are right now.

St. James commands Christians to "show no partiality" (James 2:1). Accountability cannot depend on ideology, political expediency, or whether a candidate is viewed as indispensable. Principles either apply equally, or they are not principles at all.

Catholics Vote Common Good believes the same moral standard must govern every public servant, regardless of party or political movement. We therefore call on Graham Platner to withdraw from the Senate race, and we call on every leader, commentator, activist, and organization that has championed accountability in the past to do so again today.

Our faith calls us to pursue justice without favoritism, to tell the truth even when it is inconvenient, and to place the common good above political advantage.

Anything less is partiality. And Scripture leaves no room for it.

May God bless you,
Denise Murphy McGraw
National Co-Chair, Catholics Vote Common Good