{"id":2844,"date":"2026-07-06T23:35:21","date_gmt":"2026-07-06T23:35:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jacksonvillemovingnews.com\/?p=2844"},"modified":"2026-07-06T23:35:21","modified_gmt":"2026-07-06T23:35:21","slug":"maine-senate-candidate-graham-platner-faces-new-sexual-assault-reports","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jacksonvillemovingnews.com\/?p=2844","title":{"rendered":"Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner faces new sexual assault: reports"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

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\u00a0Politico report\u00a0released Monday, leading prominent supporters to pull their endorsements and throwing a must-win race for the party into turmoil.<\/p>\n

Read more Man charged with DUI manslaughter after 2 killed in crash in Dania Beach, report says<\/a><\/p>\n

Platner denied the allegation, but said he would be considering next steps for his campaign.<\/p>\n

\u201cRegardless of the inaccuracy of the reporting but mindful of the political reality it will inflict, we\u2019re taking the time to reflect on the best path forward,\u201d he said in a video released on social media.<\/p>\n

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\u2019t consensual. A voicemail left at a number listed for Racicot seeking comment did not receive an immediate response, but in an interview on CNN Monday evening she said she opted not to fight back for fear of Platner, a former Marine, becoming more violent.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe violated multiple layers of consent that night,\u201d Racicot said.<\/p>\n

Platner’s campaign did not immediately respond to an email and phone message from The Associated Press seeking comment.<\/p>\n

\u201cAny accusation of non-consensual behavior is categorically false,\u201d Platner said in his video.<\/p>\n

\nIf you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline by calling 1-800-799-SAFE (7233), visiting\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>www.thehotline.org<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0or texting LOVEIS to 22522.<\/em><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Still, the allegation sparked a flight away from a candidate who has long been controversial. The main campaign arm of Senate Democrats called on Platner to drop out and said it would spend no money in the state if he is the nominee.<\/p>\n

\u201cGraham Platner needs to immediately withdraw as the Democratic nominee for Senate and allow Maine Democrats the opportunity to choose a new candidate who can defeat Susan Collins,\u201d Kirsten Gillibrand, chair of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, and Chuck Schumer, the top Senate Democrat, said in a joint statement.<\/p>\n

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. \u201cI\u2019ve been very clear that sexual assault or violence against women is a red line,\u201d Khanna said. \u201cThese allegations are very serious and credible. Graham Platner should drop out from the race. I am withdrawing my endorsement.\u201d<\/p>\n

Arizona Sen. Ruben Gallego also announced he was pulling his endorsement, as did the Democratic-leaning political group End Citizens United.<\/p>\n

The Democratic leaders of Maine’s legislature called for Platner to withdraw, as did top officials at the state Democratic Party.<\/p>\n

\u201cOver the past several weeks, multiple women have made serious, credible allegations against Graham Platner. Today\u2019s statements take those allegations even further,\u201d party chair Charlie Dingman, vice chair Imke Schessler and executive director Devon Murphy-Anderson said in a joint statement.<\/p>\n

Read more All About Animals<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cThis Senate race comes at a pivotal moment in the struggle against a government, supported by Senator Collins, that serves the interests of the wealthy and powerful at the expense of ordinary Maine people. It is essential that we refocus this campaign on that struggle,\u201d the statement continued.<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDemocrat Graham Platner and incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins won their parties’ primaries in Maine Tuesday night.\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n

Platner commandingly won Maine’s Democratic primary last month, but\u00a0state law\u00a0allows him to be replaced on the ballot if he withdraws by July 13. The replacement candidate must be named by July 27.<\/p>\n

As of Monday, Platner had canceled a handful of campaign town halls planned in Maine.<\/p>\n

Platner was a first-time candidate who won the primary with backing of the party’s left wing. While some Democrats\u00a0came around to support him\u00a0after his commanding primary win, Platner’s controversial history had already left others openly despairing of their chances of winning the race. A veteran who also worked for a private security contractor, Platner has a chest tattoo\u00a0recognized as a Nazi symbol, had a history of controversial statements on social media and reportedly\u00a0sexted with other women\u00a0shortly after getting married.<\/p>\n

In 2013, Platner posted on Reddit that people shouldn\u2019t get so drunk \u201cthey wind up having sex with someone they don\u2019t mean to\u201d and that sexual assault victims should \u201cjust take some responsibility for themselves.\u201d He’s since apologized for the post and says he no longer holds those beliefs.<\/p>\n

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\u2019m going to change my perspective \u2014 it\u2019s that simple,\u201d Piker said during a livestream on Twitch, adding: \u201cThis is a clear-cut instance of verifiable sexual assault allegations. It\u2019s completely irredeemable.\u201d<\/p>\n

Maine’s Democrats have long sought to oust Republican Sen. Susan Collins, who’s held on despite representing a state that reliably votes for other party at the presidential level. After Collins’ solid 2020 win, several Maine Democrats passed on the opportunity to challenge her this time and instead looked at other offices. That left the state’s 78-year-old governor, Janet Mills, as the Democratic establishment’s best hope.<\/p>\n

Platner rode into the political void and pitched himself as a blue-collar oysterman and veteran who could reach disaffected voters who had supported President Donald Trump. But as allegations began mounting against him, some state Democrats had heartburn, embodied by Mills’ refusal to endorse Platner after she dropped out of the primary. Chatter already began to circulate about other possible replacements, including former state senator and logger Troy Jackson and Secretary of State Shenna Bellows.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve known this has been coming,\u201d said Marie Follayttar, a Democrat and community organizer in Maine, talking the growing whispers inside the state’s small population that had been bracing for yet another revelation surrounding Platner. \u201cI\u2019ve been scared and I\u2019ve been sick waiting.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Associated Press generally does not name victims of sexual assault, but in this case Racicot spoke in an interview with Politico.<\/p>\n

Read more Child, 2, killed after being struck by vehicle in West Park, BSO says<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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