Democratic candidate Graham Platner has suspended his campaign for the Maine Senate seat after a woman accused him of sexual assault nearly five years ago.
The oyster farmer and ex-Marine was nominated early last month to take on Republican Senator Susan Collins in one of the most competitive Senate races in the country.
But a woman with whom he previously had an on-and-off relationship accused Platner, 41, of raping her in late 2021. Platner is bowing out of the race amid growing calls for Democrats to exit—though he continues to vehemently deny the allegations against him.
Platner posted an 11-minute video announcing the suspension and addressing the allegations.
“I learned about this through press inquiries with no time to truly respond, no time for investigations before a corporate media system and the political establishment got to act as judge, jury, and executioner,” he said.
Maine resident Jenny Racicot first spoke with Politico and CNN about the alleged assault. She said that Platner came to her home uninvited one night despite her telling him not to. She said he entered her unlocked home and climbed on top of her on her couch despite her refusals.
Racicot said that he appeared to be nearly blackout drunk. When she tried to put distance between them by going to her bedroom, he followed her. That’s where she said he raped her.
“This is incredibly difficult, because I know that some will think it’s an admission of guilt, and it most certainly has not,” Platner said in his video statement. “We’re not doing it because of the allegations; we’re doing it because of the structures that are being taken away from us by those in power, and I also feel an immense amount of responsibility to everyone who has worked so hard to get us to where we are.”
While he described his campaign as suspended, Platner added that he intends to “file my paperwork to withdraw” from the race entirely—though he hinted that he is not done with politics.
“I’m immensely proud of what we have built, and I have the utmost faith that we will continue to build, and we will continue to move towards a better future from the bottom of my heart,” he said. “Thank you. Thank all of you, and keep fighting. We’re going to win someday.”
Politico also reviewed documents and spoke to another man who dated Racicot, corroborating her story. She said her decision to come forward about the alleged rape was not politically motivated and that she agreed with Platner on politics.
Platner emphatically denied the allegation as “categorically false” in a video posted in response. However, he said he was “taking the time to reflect on the best path forward.”
Ahead of the explosive allegations, he had canceled a series of political events, raising speculation that he would drop out of the race over damaging reports about to surface.
The Democratic nominee was facing a July 13 deadline to drop out of the race so that the Democratic Party could replace him.
The Maine Democratic Party on Tuesday was working to develop a process to replace the Senate nominee that is inclusive and transparent. But the party’s executive director also accused Platner’s team of trying to put its thumb on the scale as he considered his exit.
After the bombshell allegations came out, Democrats who had previously stood behind him despite a series of other damaging revelations immediately started calling for him to step aside.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and DSCC Chair Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand called for him to exit the race and said they would not put money behind his campaign if he remained the nominee.
“I have spoken with Graham Platner about the best path forward for Maine. In light of these very serious allegations, I have recommended that he step aside,” said early endorser Sen. Bernie Sanders in a statement on Tuesday.
Other Democrats who had endorsed him, including Rep. Ro Khanna and Sens. Ruben Gallego and Martin Heinrich, called on him to quit the race, as did the Maine Democratic Party.
On Tuesday, another ex-girlfriend, Lyndsey Fifield, also accused Platner of removing condoms during sex without her consent, in a report in The Washington Post. She previously spoke with The New York Times but did not disclose the allegation of protection removal on the record. Platner’s campaign fiercely denied her accusation.
