Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner denied the allegation, but said he would be considering next steps for his campaign.

A woman who previously dated Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner said he drunkenly forced her to have sex after she told him to stop, according to a Politico report released Monday, leading prominent supporters to pull their endorsements and throwing a must-win race for the party into turmoil.

Platner denied the allegation, but said he would be considering next steps for his campaign.

“Regardless of the inaccuracy of the reporting but mindful of the political reality it will inflict, we’re taking the time to reflect on the best path forward,” he said in a video released on social media.

Jenny Racicot, who lives in Maine, told Politico that Platner entered her home in 2021 while drunk and assaulted her. Racicot said she had been in an on-and-off relationship with Platner, but she cut off contact with him after that night and told him the incident wasn’t consensual. A voicemail left at a number listed for Racicot seeking comment did not receive an immediate response.

Platner’s campaign did not immediately respond to an email and phone message from The Associated Press seeking comment.

“Any accusation of non-consensual behavior is categorically false,” Platner said in his video.

Still, the allegation sparked a flight away from a candidate who has long been controversial. Rep. Ro Khanna, a California Democrat who’d stood by Platner even as the insurgent candidate was hit with prior allegations, said Monday’s was enough. “I’ve been very clear that sexual assault or violence against women is a red line,” Khanna said. “These allegations are very serious and credible. Graham Platner should drop out from the race. I am withdrawing my endorsement.”

Edit: holy shit, these comments are insane.

Regardless of what you believe with this, Platner likely cannot win anymore. He has a week to do the right thing and drop out before he’s fully locked in. If he actually gives any sort of a shit (and doesn’t just want power, like rapists seeking office tend to), he needs to drop out yesterday.

This is the nail in the coffin for his campaign. It’s not time to defend him no matter what, because there’s still a week where a new candidate can be put into place. Instead of being mad at people not wanting to vote for him, you should start vocally supporting another candidate.

  • nondescripthandle@lemmy.dbzer0.com
    6217·
    4 days ago

    The woman came forward to the NYT earlier to get on record but held back the story until another accuser came forward. She has contemporaneous emails with her therapist dealing with the fallout and people in her life she told the story to around the time it happened who can confirm it, as well as woman she warned after cutting contact with Platner. These allegations are as credible as they get and some of the reactions to this story are frankly disgusting.

    https://www.politico.com/news/2026/07/06/graham-platner-sexual-assault-allegation-00987737

    • WoodScientist@lemmy.world
      378·
      4 days ago

      You misread the article you linked.

      The woman, a 41-year-old Maine resident named Jenny Racicot, detailed the alleged incident to POLITICO in three interviews over the past two weeks. POLITICO also spoke with a man Racicot dated and confided in the years after the alleged incident, and reviewed documents, including emails between Racicot and her therapist and messages between Racicot and an acquaintance whom she warned against getting involved with Platner years before he ran for office.

      Politico reviewed:

      1. Emails with her therapist (no date mentioned.)
      2. Contemporary emails with a friend (though the name of this friend has been kept secret.)

      Any ambiguity is removed by the later sentence:

      Racicot showed POLITICO recent emails with her therapist in which Racicot explained she was talking to the media about her relationship with Platner and the “sa/rape,”

      Nowhere in the very article you linked does it mention contemporaneous therapist notes. You are spreading misinformation.

    • HootinNHollerin@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
      318·
      3 days ago

      Fyi Politico is openly Zionist and told their staff to leave if they’re not. Why do people treat them as legit. I certainly don’t.

      • SpookyBogMonster@lemmy.mlEnglish
        22·
        2 days ago

        Politico, or any other outlet for that matter, can have a shitty editorial line on some things, and do quality reporting on other things.

        You should be paying attention to the substance of the accusation here, which is about as credible as it gets. Not blowing it off because it’s from an outlet you dislike for a different reason.

        And just like… Occam’s Razor, the guy with the SS tattoo being a bad guy isn’t exactly a wild leap of logic.

        There’s even a famous skit about the exact symbol Platner had a tattoo of.

    • TropicalDingdong@lemmy.world
      94·
      4 days ago

      Yep. The Tapper interview, as disgusting as Tapper was during it, I mean this is as credible as they come. She also said she was prepared to vote for him, and that his kind of politics is what the country needs. Graham said there would be no more coming out. Its unclear where things go from here.