New sexual assault allegations against Graham Platner cost him support from some of his earliest backers on Monday, throwing his Maine Senate campaign into crisis.
The withdrawal of support comes in the wake of a Politico report in which a woman he once dated, Jenny Racicot, accused him of forcing himself on her in 2021, an allegation Platner denies.
Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) announced on X that he was withdrawing his endorsement, calling the allegations "troubling and deeply serious."
Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) also pulled his endorsement and called on Platner to drop out, calling the allegations “very serious and credible.” The advocacy group End Citizens United also rescinded its endorsement, calling the allegations "profoundly disturbing and disqualifying."
Maine Democratic Party leadership — including chair Charlie Dingman, vice chair Imke Schessler and executive director Devon Murphy-Anderson — called on Platner to withdraw as the party's nominee in a joint statement.
“Over the past several weeks, multiple women have made serious, credible allegations against Graham Platner. Today's statements take those allegations even further. Maine Democratic Party leadership called on Platner to withdraw as the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate,” they wrote.
"Maine Democratic Party leadership takes seriously our responsibility to hold every candidate who seeks to represent our state to the highest standard. Over the past several weeks, multiple women have made serious, credible allegations against Graham Platner. Today's statements take those allegations even further.” they cotinued.
Sen. Martin Heinrich of New Mexico — an early Platner supporter — said the allegations were serious and should be treated as such, but stopped short of calling for a withdrawal.
Racicot, 41, told Politico that the Maine Democrat showed up at her home drunk and uninvited and forced her to have sex with him, with the report noting it reviewed emails with her therapist and spoke with confidants who corroborated the details of her story.
Platner posted a video to X shortly after the story ran denying the allegation, arguing that any accusation of non-consensual behavior was false. He added that despite what he called inaccurate reporting, he understood the political impact the story could have and stated that his campaign needed time to figure out its next steps.
Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine)called the allegations "appalling." She added that it is not her place to choose the Democratic nominee.
Platner has until July 13 to withdraw from the race under Maine law if Democrats want the option to replace him on the ballot, the party would then have until July 27 to pick a new nominee.
The allegation is the latest in a series of controversies that have followed Platner's campaign. The candidate previously came under fire for having a chest tattoo resembling a Nazi symbol, which he has since covered, and other former girlfriends have described his behavior as unsettling.
