Some of Democratic Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner’s top backers, as well as the state Democratic Party, called on him to end his campaign and rescinded endorsements on Monday after he was accused of sexual assault by a woman he previously dated.
“The allegations against Graham Platner are troubling and deeply serious,” Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Arizona) wrote on X. “I am rescinding my endorsement.
“I’ve been very clear that sexual assault or violence against women is a red line. These allegations are very serious and credible. Graham Platner should drop out from the race. I am withdrawing my endorsement,” wrote Rep. Ro Khanna (D-California), who appeared with the candidate at a rally last month, just days after Platner was accused of mistreating women he dated.
The state Democratic Party also called on Platner to leave the race. “We are entrusted with deciding who represents our values and who carries our banner. That responsibility requires judgment, leadership, and a willingness to act when circumstances demand it,” party leaders wrote in a statement.
Other high-profile supporters contacted by The Washington Post, including Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Massachusetts) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont), did not respond to questions about the allegations.
Jenny Racicot, a woman who previously dated Platner, told The Post that he sexually assaulted her in her Maine home in 2021. Racicot said Platner came to her home drunk, climbed on top of her on her couch and then had nonconsensual sex with her in her bedroom. “I remember saying, ‘Hey, I’m not into this,’ and, like, ‘Don’t do that. Don’t touch me,’” she told The Post. “Like saying every way that I could think to say ‘No.’” The allegation was first reported Monday by Politico.
Platner is challenging Sen. Susan Collins (R) in a race that is pivotal to control of the Senate.
Platner denies the allegation but said he was “mindful of the political reality” that the reporting will “inflict” on his campaign.
“Regardless of the inaccuracy of the reporting … 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 that I belong to and the goal of defeating Susan Collins,” Platner said in a video posted on X.
Collins said the allegations against Platner were “appalling” but added that it was “not up to me to choose the Democratic nominee for Senate.”
He has faced an escalating series of scandals since launching his challenge to Collins last summer, including old social media posts dismissive of sexual assault, a tattoo resembling a Nazi symbol that he has since covered up, sexually explicit text messages he sent to other women after he married in 2023, and allegations of physical violence by ex-girlfriends.
His standing among voters has dropped in recent polls. Fifty percent of voters said they had an unfavorable view of him in a recent New York Times-Press Herald-Siena poll, and 53 percent said that in a Fox News survey. In the Times poll, 76 percent said they had heard a lot about controversies surrounding Platner, with 52 percent saying they can’t support him or that the controversies make them question whether to support him.
Platner had largely responded to those controversies by pledging that there would be no further allegations against him. In an interview with MS NOW, Platner said that he expected “the Republican Party to fight as dirty as possible” and to “drag stuff up consistently” but that there “won’t be anything new.”
According to state law, if Platner were to withdraw before July 13, the state deadline to finalize the November ballot, Maine’s secretary of state can declare a vacancy and allow Democrats to choose a replacement. The party would have until 5 p.m. July 27 to select that candidate.
Gallego and Khanna are not alone in pulling their endorsements.
David Hogg, a high-profile Democratic activist who had backed Platner, labeled the allegations “horrific, full stop.”
“Graham Platner needs to drop out and let a strong Democratic replacement run,” Hogg wrote.
And End Citizens United, a progressive group focused on campaign finance reform, withdrew its support for Platner.
“The allegations reported today are profoundly disturbing and disqualifying,” Tiffany Muller, president of the group, said in a statement. “The conduct described is fundamentally inconsistent with the standards we expect from the candidates we support. No candidate, elected official, or political party is exempt from accountability.”
The post Top Democrats pull Graham Platner endorsements, call on him to end Maine Senate campaign appeared first on Washington Post.
