Maine's Democratic leadership is calling for US Senate nominee Graham Platner to withdraw from the race, following a report of sexual assault allegations that has cost him support from some of his most prominent backers.
Politico reported Monday that Jenny Racicot, a 41-year-old Maine resident who previously dated Platner, accused him of forcing her to have sex in late 2021. Racicot, who said she had an on-and-off relationship with Platner spanning more than two years, alleged that an intoxicated Platner entered her home uninvited and forced himself on her. She said she ended contact after the encounter.
Platner, an oyster farmer and former Marine, has categorically denied the allegations. In a video statement posted to X after Politico's report, he called the charges "troubling, serious and false" and insisted that "any accusation of non-consensual behavior is categorically untrue."
The denials have not slowed a wave of withdrawals from prominent Democrats. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, chair of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, issued a joint statement calling for Platner to "immediately withdraw."
Representative Ro Khanna of California, who had been one of Platner's most vocal supporters, reversed course sharply. "I've been very clear that sexual assault or violence against women is a red line," Khanna wrote on X. "These allegations are very serious and credible. Graham Platner should drop out from the race. I am withdrawing my endorsement."
Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, who endorsed Platner in March, said in a statement that there "can be no tolerance for sexual assault" and called on him to "step aside as the Democratic nominee and address these serious allegations outside this Senate race."
Racicot's account was supported by accounts she provided to Politico from a man she confided in at the time, recent therapist emails, and messages she sent to an acquaintance warning about Platner in 2023.
The timing of the allegation puts Democrats in a tight spot. Maine is viewed as a central battleground for their push to regain Senate control in upcoming elections, and Platner faces Republican Senator Susan Collins in the general election.
In a video statement, Platner acknowledged the political reality while still maintaining the allegations were false. "We are taking the time to reflect on the best path forward for the state that I love, the people that I love, the movement I belong to and the goal of defeating Susan Collins," he said. He thanked voters who supported his nomination and pledged to "use every tool at our disposal" to defeat Collins.
Collins herself responded to the allegations on social media, calling them "appalling" while declining to weigh in on the Democratic nomination process. "Nevertheless, it is not up to me to choose the Democratic nominee for Senate," she wrote.
Platner's political rise as a political newcomer has already been marked by controversy. Before entering the race, he made provocative comments on social media and obtained a tattoo with Nazi associations, which he has since covered up. Platner claimed at the time that he did not initially understand the symbol's meaning.
Author James Rodriguez: "When a candidate's own party leadership and his biggest supporters are heading for the exits within hours of an allegation, the writing on the wall is pretty clear, regardless of what he claims in his statements."
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