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Key Facts

Sanders said he has “spoken with Graham Platner about the best path forward for Maine” and “in light of these very serious allegations, I have recommended that he step aside.”

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani—whose top aides have worked on Platner’s campaign—also said Tuesday the “only appropriate response” for Platner is to end his campaign, while Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., joined progressives revoking their endorsements of Platner.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., whose early support boosted Platner’s campaign, rescinded their endorsements, while the Senate Democratic campaign arm and the Maine Democratic Party both called on Platner to step aside in the race after a woman who dated Platner accused him of raping her.

Platner, calling the allegation “serious, troubling and false,” said in a video statement posted to X shortly after the story broke in Politico that his campaign is “taking the time to reflect on the best path forward.”

The woman, 41-year-old Maine resident Jenny Racicot, who dated Platner on-and-off about five years ago, told Politico he came to her home drunk and uninvited one night in 2021 and forced himself on her while she was on a couch.

Racicot said she repeatedly told Platner to stop and remembers “him grabbing my pelvis and being really forceful of me,” adding, “I remember the specific moment where I thought to myself, like, ‘This is no longer my choice.’”

She said Platner then followed her into her bedroom and had sex with her against her will.

After the Politico story was published, Racicot repeated her description of the incident in a CNN interview later Monday, telling the network, “this is something that I tried for many years to forget.”

tangent

Politico reported that it obtained multiple messages between Racicot and others that appeared to corroborate her claims, including conversations between herself and her therapist discussing the incident. She also shared a Facebook exchange with an acquaintance in 2023 who she warned not to get involved with Platner, calling him “consensually careless” and saying he “doesn’t listen to you when drunk.” She also reportedly told a man she dated after Platner about the alleged assault in 2023. The man, who asked to remain anonymous, recounted details to Politico that matched Racicot’s story.

What To Watch For

Maine Democrats can replace Platner on the ballot if he drops out before July 13. The party must select his replacement by July 27. The nominee will face Republican Sen. Susan Collins in the general election. The race was expected to be highly competitive and one of Democrats’ best chances to flip a seat. It is the only state won by Kamala Harris in the most recent election held by a Republican senator. Platner ran uncontested in the Maine Democratic primary last month after Democrat Gov. Janet Mills effectively ended her campaign in April. A first-time candidate, U.S. military veteran and oyster farmer, Platner billed himself as the working class candidate and denounced billionaires, gaining the support of prominent progressives, including Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who has not commented on the rape allegation as of Tuesday morning.

Key Background

Before the Politico story broke Monday, multiple outlets reported Platner cancelled three events scheduled for Sunday and Monday, with some citing unnamed sources who said he was anticipating another negative story. Platner has faced multiple allegations of reckless and drunken behavior and disturbing behavior toward women since launching his campaign in August. Several women who had relationships with Platner described unsettling and volatile interactions with him in an article published in The New York Times last month. One of the women, Lyndsy Fifield, said Platner was physically rough with her at times while drinking, allegations he denied. She also said he knew the tattoo on his chest, which he has since covered, was a Nazi symbol, despite publicly denying knowing its meaning. Fifield’s allegations were widely questioned since she has worked for conservative groups and Republican politicians. Racicot, a Democrat, also described to The Times an “unsettling” and “reckless” experience with Platner when he came to her house drunk in 2021, but declined to elaborate. She told Politico she didn’t come forward to The Times because she agrees with Platner’s politics, and said she decided to do so after the Times story published, because Fifield’s allegations dominated the storyline and were discredited by some over her Republican ties. Platner’s wife, Amy Gertner, who he married in 2023, also caught him sending sexually explicit messages to multiple other women last year—revelations first made public in May in the Wall Street Journal and confirmed publicly by Gertner, who said the couple had repaired their marriage.

further reading

Graham Platner Wins Primary As Controversy Over Troubled Behavior Swirls (Forbes)

Trump Calls Graham Platner A ‘Thug’ After He Wins Maine Senate Primary (Forbes)

Bernie Sanders Backs Graham Platner After Allegations Of ‘Toxic’ Relationship (Forbes) %!s()

In a video message released following the report on Monday, Platner said that the allegations were “troubling, serious, and false,” and that he and his campaign will “reflect on the best path forward.”

“Regardless of the inaccuracy of the reporting, but mindful of the political reality this will inflict, 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 I belong to, and the goal of defeating Susan Collins.” 

Platner won the state’s Democratic primary last month despite several controversies, setting up a showdown with Republican incumbent Susan Collins. The ballot deadline is a week away, on July 13. If Platner drops out before then, Democrats have until July 27 to replace him.

Platner’s campaign abruptly cancelled a series of scheduled events ahead of Politico’s report on Monday.

The woman accusing Platner –- 41-year-old Jenny Racicot, a resident of Maine — told Politico that she dated Platner sporadically for a period of about two years. She described an incident in 2021 in which Platner arrived at her home uninvited “almost blackout drunk,” and forced her into sex while ignoring her protests. Racicot alleged that Platner ejaculated in her despite her not being on birth control and pleading with him not to. 

“The look on his face and realizing what was happening, I just realized that, like, I am in a situation where there’s no consent here,” she said. She says Platner claimed not to recall the incident when she confronted him the next morning, and she broke off the relationship and ceased contact shortly after confirming she was not pregnant.

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In order to corroborate her story, Racicot provided Politico with recent email exchanges between herself and her therapist  in which she discussed potentially coming forward and seeking corroboration of her allegations. Politico also spoke to a subsequent partner of Racicot’s who said she described the assault to him in 2023, two years before Platner announced his candidacy. Racicot also provided the outlet with Facebook messages from 2023 between herself and an acquaintance who had been set up on a date with Platner. “He can be charming and funny, and he’s a decently intelligent person, he’s not all bad, but I ended up in a bad situation with him and I will just very politely call him consensually careless at times […] when drunk,” she wrote.  

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For months now, the Platner campaign has battled a series of scandals that have destabilized the Democrats position in the must-win Senate race. Platner has so far weathered them, winning the primary and polling well against Collins. Early on in his campaign, he was forced to cover up a tattoo of a Nazi skull he claims he unknowingly selected as a flash tattoo while deployed in Croatia. Platner’s old Reddit posts were riddled with sexism and homophobia. In June, The New York Times’ reported that Platner behaved in an “unsettling” manner in some of his past romantic relationships, including claims that he roughly grabbed one of his ex girlfriends and locked her in a room during an argument.

Racicot’s sexual assault allegation is the most damning charge yet against Platner, and may ultimately spell the end of his campaign. %!s()