Democrats demand Graham Platner suspend campaign over rape allegation

Democrats quickly turned to Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner on Monday after a rape allegation triggered a full-blown revolt among his most prominent supporters and calls poured in from across the party for him to suspend his campaign.

The escalating separations came after Jenny Racicot, 41, of Maine, accused Platner of rape. Interviews with Politico and CNN, She claimed Senate broke into her home uninvited while she was drunk about five years ago and forced himself on her despite repeated attempts to stop him.

Racicot, who was meeting with Platner occasionally at that time, he told Politico She cut ties with him immediately after he forced her to have unprotected sex, saying: “I remember the moment when I thought to myself, ‘This is not my choice anymore.'”

She also told CNN that the alleged encounter was the “dictionary definition” of rape.

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Platner immediately issued a statement denying Racicot’s statement, saying he was “taking time to consider the best path forward” for his collapsing campaign.

While the vast majority of Democrats signaled Monday that they did not want to give Platner that opportunity, many lawmakers rushed to issue statements urging the Senate to hopefully end his campaign immediately.

The entreaties ranged from Platner’s most ardent progressive defenders to the establishment wing of the party; many of them had recently rallied behind Platner after he won the Democratic primary in June.

“Sexual assault cannot be tolerated,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., one of Platner’s most prominent supporters, said in a statement rescinding her endorsement. “With so much at stake, it is best for Graham Platner to step aside as the Democratic nominee and address these serious allegations outside of the Senate race.”

Meanwhile, Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., who has been working closely with Platner, withdrew his support after news of the rape allegation spread and called for her to drop out of the race.

Sens. Martin Heinrich, D.N.M. and Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz. They also withdrew their support on Monday, and Gallego stopped calling for Platner to suspend his campaign.

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Progressive lawmakers continued to support Platner after Platner’s ex-girlfriend, Lyndsey Fifield, accused the Maine Democrat of harassment in June; Platner has repeatedly denied this claim as false and politically motivated.

Khanna traveled specifically to Maine the next day to campaign with Platner. New York Times He first reported Fifield’s accusation.

Khanna has previously said in multiple interviews that he would repudiate Platner if a sexual assault allegation came to light, but he told Fox News Digital that he was hopeful the Senate would “take responsibility” for his past and argued that Platner deserved redemption.

The backlash was equally swift among establishment Democrats, with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (DY) and Democratic Senate Campaign Committee Chair Kirsten Gillibrand (DY) publicly demanding that Platner suspend his campaign “immediately” to give the party time to put forward a new candidate.

Senior Democrats had recently endorsed Platner after he won the June primary after their preferred choice, Gov. Janet Mills, D-Maine, ended her campaign amid fundraising struggles.

“DSCC will not invest in the Maine Senate race if the platform remains on the ballot,” the duo said in a joint statement Monday. he wrote.

The Schumer-backed Senate Majority PAC also said Monday it would divert resources away from Maine as long as Platner remains in the race.

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The warning comes as Democrats face a fast-approaching deadline to replace Platner as the party’s nominee. Under Maine law, Platner can be replaced on the ballot if he withdraws by 5 p.m. July 13; The state party is allowed to put forward a new one until July 27.

Democrats see Maine as an excellent opportunity to regain control of the Senate during midterm elections in November, but Platner’s quickly unraveling campaign could derail those plans.

A slew of scandals, from an old Nazi-linked tattoo to infidelity during her marriage, have sharply divided Democrats as the party tries to unseat longtime Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine.

Collins issued a statement Monday calling the rape accusation “appalling” but declined to comment on whether Platner would continue in the race.

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, harshly criticized Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner after a Maine woman accused him of rape. (Graeme Sloan/Getty Images; Heather Diehl/Getty Images)

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Sens. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz. and Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich. Other MPs from the centrist wing of the party, including , also publicly called on Platner to end his campaign. Neither had officially endorsed Platner until Monday’s rape allegation came to light.

Many prominent Maine Democrats also called on Platner to abandon his Senate bid on Monday, including Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine, and her daughter, former State House Speaker Hannah Pingree, D-Maine, who is the Democratic nominee for governor to replace Mills.

Former Maine public health official Nirav Shah and state Sen. Troy Jackson, D-Maine, who are both running for the open governor’s seat and have been floated as potential replacements for Platner, also said Monday that he should withdraw his candidacy. Jackson, who campaigned with Platner, was among the candidates the Senate hoped would replace Mills.

Many left-wing organizations also withdrew their support for Platner on Monday.

“The allegations reported today are deeply disturbing and disqualifying,” Tiffany Muller, president of the Democratic-affiliated group End Citizen United, said in a statement. he said. “The behavior described is fundamentally inconsistent with the standards we expect from the candidates we support.”

VoteVets, an organization that works to elect Democratic veterans, also withdrew its support for Platner, who served multiple overseas postings. Meanwhile, Our Revolution, a leftist organization founded by former Sanders campaign staff, called on Platner to leave the race and demanded that his successor share his far-left policy views.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., one of Platner’s few remaining progressive supporters, had not weighed in on the sexual assault allegation late Monday evening.

A spokesman for Sanders did not respond to a request for comment.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. and Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner stand together during the “Fighting the Oligarchy” tour at the Collins Center for the Arts on the University of Maine campus on May 24, 2026 in Orono, Maine. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

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Far-left Twitch streamer Hasan Piker also broke with Platner on Monday, saying “the accusations are as credible as they can be.”

“This is beyond red flags. This is irreparable,” Piker added during the livestream.