Woman accuses Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner of sexual assault | US politics
A woman has accused Graham Platner, the Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate in Maine, of sexual assault. special report By Politico.
Jenny Racicot, 41, dated the marine veteran oyster farmer and claimed he forced her into sex despite her repeated objections.
Platner denied the allegations in a statement to Politico.
“These allegations are disturbing, serious and false. Any accusation of non-consensual conduct is categorically untrue,” he said.
Racicot told the press that she had been in an on-and-off relationship with Platner for more than two years. She alleges that in late 2021, an intoxicated Platner entered her home uninvited and forced himself on her. Racicot said he stopped communicating after the encounter.
The report included statements from a man Racicot later trusted, as well as emails from the therapist and messages in which he warned an acquaintance about Platner years before he ran for Senate.
Platner, who secured the Democratic nomination and faced Republican senator Susan Collins in the general election, faced a series of scandals.
Platner describes himself as a populist everyman with an anti-oligarchic message. Before running for public office, he said: controversial comments Open social media and i bought one Nazi related tattooIt has since been covered up. Platner said he initially did not understand the meaning of the tattoo.
One video messagePlatner once again said that the accusations were unfounded, but that he was aware of the political reality that the accusation would carry.
“We are taking time to reflect on the best path forward for the state I love, the people I love, the movement I belong to, and the goal of defeating Susan Collins,” Platner said.
A political newcomer, he thanked voters for pushing him to nominate himself.
“You never turned your back on me, and I won’t turn my back on you anymore,” he said. “Each of you deserves to see this vision come to fruition and Susan Collins defeated, and we will use every tool at our disposal to do so. As Maine goes, so goes the nation.”
Racicot was one of several women who spoke to the New York Times for a previous story in June about Platner’s “disturbing” behavior towards women he dated.
He told Politico that he was hesitant to go public with his claim because he had a “massive moral conflict” between supporting Platner’s politics and not supporting him personally. She also said she did not share her sexual assault allegations with the New York Times because she did not want to be known as a rape victim.
Racicot told Politico they had previous consensual relationships until one night in 2021, when Platner allegedly broke into her unlocked home and forced himself on her. He said he repeatedly told her to stop and believed she was “almost blacking out drunk.”
According to Politico, Racicot accused Platner of having sex with her against her will and ejaculating inside her after she told him not to. No police report was filed at the time.
Platner’s campaign said the senatorial candidate “strongly denies” the allegations.
“These allegations are very serious and Graham vehemently denies them,” the statement said. “They are also trained and coordinated by non-state agency operatives. For a year, opponents of this campaign have done everything they can to attack Graham, calling him a Nazi, a war criminal, and a communist. None of that has been true, and this is no different.
“It’s no coincidence that this news comes a week before the voting deadline, just as previous false claims emerged a week before the primaries. Graham started this campaign to fight for a Maine where everyone is treated with dignity and Mainers are put first, and no amount of desperate smearing will stop this movement from realizing that vision.”
If Democrats decide to replace Platner as the party’s nominee in the Maine Senate race, state law requires Platner to withdraw from the race by 5 p.m. on July 13. The Democratic party will then have two weeks, until July 27, to choose the new candidate.
Some top Democratic commentators have called for the beleaguered candidate to resign.
“Platner needs time to heal and focus on his family and his health. Enough. Enough.” in question Donna Brazile is the former chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC).
