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.
Platner denied the allegation, but said he would be considering next steps for his campaign.
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“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.
An email and phone message from The Associated Press seeking comment were sent to Platner’s campaign on Monday.
“Any accusation of non-consensual behavior is categorically false,” Platner said in his video.
As of Monday, Platner had canceled a handful of campaign town halls planned in Maine. The latest allegation throws into turmoil Democrats' quest to flip control of the U.S. Senate, which hinges on their effort to unseat Maine's Republican Sen. Susan Collins.
Platner was a first-time candidate who won the primary with backing of the party's left wing. While some Democrats came around to support him after his commanding primary win, Platner's controversial history had already left others openly despairing of their chances of winning the race.
Several of the lawmakers and groups that did support Platner, including Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Ro Khanna, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Sanders' Our Revolution group said it had no comment.
Khanna has supported Platner through several scandals but said last month on CBS’ “Face the Nation” that “if there was evidence of violence, I would not support him. If there was evidence of sexual assault, I’d have zero support for him.”
Hasan Piker, a leftist commentator and streamer who's backed Platner, seemed to reverse himself Monday following the Politico report. "If new evidence presents itself, I’m going to change my perspective — it’s that simple,” Piker said during a livestream on Twitch, adding: “This is a clear-cut instance of verifiable sexual assault allegations. It’s that simple.”
Platner secured the nomination to become Maine’s Democratic Senate candidate last month, but state law does include a provision for Democrats to replace him ahead of the general election.
According to the statute, party officials may select a new nominee if a candidate who won the primary withdraws by 5 p.m. July 13. The replacement candidate must be named by July 27.
Gov. Janet Mills, a longtime Maine politician who had the backing of Democratic leadership but who dropped out of the party's Senate primary earlier this year after citing a lack of funds, has notably refused to endorse Platner since leaving the race.
The Associated Press generally does not name victims of sexual assault, but in this case Racicot spoke in an interview with Politico.