A fresh sexual assault allegation has thrown one of the Democrats’ most closely watched Senate campaigns into turmoil. With election deadlines approaching, senior party figures are now publicly urging their own nominee to step aside.
The Democratic Party’s hopes of unseating one of the Senate’s longest-serving Republicans have been thrown into uncertainty after its candidate in Maine, Graham Platner, came under renewed pressure to abandon his campaign following a sexual assault allegation made by a former partner.
The allegation, published by Politico on Monday after a series of interviews with the woman, prompted some of the party’s most senior leaders to call for Platner to immediately withdraw from the race. The controversy has also raised fresh questions about whether Democrats can remain competitive in a contest seen as one of their few opportunities to gain ground in the U.S. Senate.
Platner, a former Marine and oyster farmer, has firmly denied the accusation.
“Regardless of the inaccuracy of the reporting, but mindful the political reality it 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 said in a video posted on social media.
He described the allegation as “categorically false” but stopped short of confirming whether he would remain in the race.
The response from Democratic leaders was swift.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand issued a joint statement describing the claims as deeply troubling.
“The allegations reported today are incredibly disturbing violence, abuse and sexual assault are absolutely unacceptable.”
They also made it clear that the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) would not financially support Platner’s campaign if he remained the party’s nominee.
As the day unfolded, more prominent Democrats joined the calls for him to step aside, including Elizabeth Warren, Cory Booker and Elissa Slotkin.
Several of Platner’s own supporters also withdrew their endorsements.
Representative Ro Khanna, who had previously campaigned alongside Platner, said the allegations appeared “serious and credible.”
“Graham Platner should drop out from the race. I am withdrawing my endorsement,” Khanna said.
Senators Martin Heinrich and Ruben Gallego also rescinded their backing, with Gallego calling the accusations “troubling and deeply serious,” while Heinrich described them as “appalling.”
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The Maine Democratic Party soon followed with its own appeal.
“Over the past several weeks, multiple women have made serious, credible allegations against Graham Platner. Today’s statements take those allegations even further,” the party said.
“Maine Democratic Party leadership is calling on Graham Platner to withdraw as the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate.”
The latest allegation comes from Jenny Racicot, 41, who told Politico that she and Platner had an on-and-off relationship lasting more than two years.
She alleged that Platner entered her Maine home without permission and sexually assaulted her after arriving heavily intoxicated. Racicot said she later told him the encounter was not consensual and ended all contact with him.
She also explained why she had remained silent until now.
According to Politico, Racicot had previously spoken to The New York Times during its reporting on Platner’s past relationships but chose not to publicly disclose her allegation because she did not want to be identified as a rape survivor.
That Times report, published before Maine’s Democratic primary, included accounts from three former girlfriends who accused Platner of angry and erratic behaviour. Platner denied those allegations as well.
The controversy is only the latest setback for a campaign that has faced repeated scrutiny in recent weeks.
Earlier reports highlighted a tattoo on Platner’s chest that critics said resembled the Totenkopf, or “death’s head,” a symbol historically associated with Nazi forces during the Second World War. Platner said he received the tattoo while serving with fellow Marines in Croatia in 2007 and later covered it after learning its resemblance to the Nazi emblem.
Old Reddit comments also resurfaced in which Platner suggested victims of sexual assault should “take some responsibility for themselves” and avoid becoming heavily intoxicated.
Facing criticism, he later apologised publicly.
“Maine, I am asking you not to judge me for the worst thing I said on the internet, on my worst day 14 years ago, but who I am today and the kind of senator I promise to be.”
Separately, Platner acknowledged reports that he had exchanged sexually explicit messages with women outside his marriage.
“At the beginning of our marriage, I made mistakes, and Amy held me accountable for them, and we worked through them,” he said during an interview, adding that their relationship had since become “an incredibly faithful and happy married couple.”
The political stakes remain high.
Platner is expected to challenge Republican Senator Susan Collins, who has represented Maine in the Senate for decades and is once again seeking re-election. Democrats view the contest as one of several critical races that could determine control of the Senate after November’s midterm elections.
Time is also working against the party. Under Maine election rules, Platner must withdraw by 13 July if Democrats are to replace him on the ballot with another candidate.
For now, Platner insists he is weighing his next move. But with senior Democrats abandoning their nominee and campaign support rapidly evaporating, the question facing the party is no longer just whether it can defeat Susan Collins; it is whether it will need to find someone else to try.
