Democrats begin pulling Platner endorsements after Maine candidate faces sexual assault allegation
A woman who had been with Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner said he drunkenly forced her to have sex after he told her to stop. Policy report The decision, issued on Monday, led leading supporters to withdraw their support and threw a must-win race for the party into disarray.
Platner denied the allegation but said he would consider next steps for his campaign.
“Regardless of the inaccuracy of the news, but mindful of the political reality it will entail, we are taking time to consider the best path forward,” he said in a video posted on social media.
Jenny Racicot, who lives in Maine, told Politico that Platner broke into her home while drunk and attacked her in 2021. Racicot said he had an occasional relationship with Platner, but stopped communicating with her after that night and said the incident was not consensual. There was no immediate response to a voicemail left at the number Racicot listed seeking comment, but in an interview on CNN Monday evening, Racicot said he chose not to respond because he feared Platner, a former Marine, would become more violent.
“He violated many layers of consent that night,” Racicot said.
Platner’s campaign did not immediately respond to an email and phone message from The Associated Press seeking comment.
“Any accusation of nonconsensual conduct is categorically false,” Platner said in his video.
Still, the claim led to the defection of a long-controversial candidate. Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna of California, who stood by Platner even when the insurgent candidate faced previous allegations, said Monday was enough. “I have made it clear that sexual assault or violence against women is the red line,” Khanna said. “These allegations are very serious and credible. Graham Platner must withdraw from the race. I withdraw my endorsement.”
Arizona Senator Ruben Gallego also announced that he was withdrawing his support, as did the Democratic-leaning political group End Citizens United.
Democratic leaders of the Maine legislature called for Platner to step down, as did senior officials in the state’s Democratic Party.
“Over the past few weeks, numerous women have made serious, credible allegations against Graham Platner. Today’s revelations take these allegations further,” party chairman Charlie Dingman, deputy chairman Imke Schessler and chief executive Devon Murphy-Anderson said in a joint statement.
The statement continued: “This Senate race comes at a pivotal moment in the fight against a government supported by Senator Collins that serves the interests of the rich and powerful at the expense of ordinary Maine people. It is critical that we refocus this campaign on that fight.”
Platner won Maine’s Democratic primary by a landslide last month, but State Law It allows it to be changed in the ballot if withdrawn by July 13. The replacement candidate must be determined by July 27.
As of Monday, Platner had canceled a series of campaign town halls planned for Maine.
Platner was a candidate who won the primaries for the first time with the support of the left wing of the party. Some Democrats are came to support him After his first win, Platner’s controversial past left others openly despondent about their chances of winning the race. Platner, a veteran who also worked for a private security contractor, has a chest tattoo Became known as a Nazi symbolhad a history of controversial statements on social media and reportedly having sex with other women shortly after marriage.
In 2013, Platner stated on Reddit that people shouldn’t get so drunk, that they “shouldn’t end up having sex with someone they don’t want to,” and that victims of sexual assault “should take responsibility for themselves.” He has since apologized for the post and said he no longer holds those beliefs.
Hasan Piker, a left-wing commentator and broadcaster who supported Platner, appeared to have reversed himself on Monday following the Politico report. “If new evidence emerges, I will change my perspective; it’s that simple,” Piker said during a livestream on Twitch. “This is a clear example of verifiable allegations of sexual assault. It is completely irreparable.”
Democrats in Maine have long been trying to oust Republican Sen. Susan Collins, who remains in office despite representing a state that reliably votes for the other party at the presidential level. After Collins’ solid victory in 2020, several Maine Democrats jumped at the opportunity to challenge her this time around, turning to other offices instead. That left the state’s 78-year-old governor, Janet Mills, as the Democratic establishment’s best hope.
Platner stepped into the political void, presenting himself as a blue-collar oysterman and veteran who could reach disaffected voters who support President Donald Trump. But as the allegations against him began to mount, some state Democrats experienced heartburn; this was embodied in Mills’ refusal to support Platner after he withdrew from the primary. Rumors are already floating about other possible names, including former state senator and logger Troy Jackson and Secretary of State Shenna Bellows.
“I knew this was coming,” said Marie Follayttar, a Democrat and community organizer in Maine, who spoke of growing whispers within the state’s small population surrounding Platner preparing for a new revelation. “I was scared and tired of waiting.”
The Associated Press does not usually name victims of sexual assault, but in this case, Racicot spoke out in an interview with Politico.
