Democrats Press Platner to Drop Out Over Assault Allegation
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- Graham Platner, Maine's Democratic Senate candidate, faces calls to withdraw after Jenny Racicot, 41, alleged in Politico interviews that he entered her home uninvited and sexually assaulted her while appearing intoxicated.
- Bernie Sanders, one of Platner's biggest backers who had stood by him through earlier controversies, said he recommended Platner "step aside" in light of the "very serious allegations."
- Senate Democrats — including Schumer, Gillibrand, Warren, Booker, and Slotkin — demanded Platner withdraw, with Rep Khanna and Sens Heinrich and Gallego rescinding endorsements and calling the allegations "appalling" and "serious and credible."
- The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee said it "will not invest in the Maine Senate race if Platner remains on the ballot," and the Maine Democratic Party formally called on him to step aside.
- Lyndsey Fifield told the Washington Post that Platner engaged in nonconsensual condom removal — known as "stealthing" — during a 2013-15 relationship, a practice illegal in Maine.
- Platner denied the allegations as "categorically false" but said he was "taking the time to reflect on the best path forward," postponing several campaign events this week.
- Troy Jackson, a former Maine state Senate president, filed an FEC exploratory committee, while former public health director Nirav Shah said he was discussing a run with his family.
Why it matters: Platner must withdraw by July 13 for Democrats to replace him on the ballot in a race pivotal to their longshot bid to flip the Senate from Republican control. With the DSCC pulling financial support and Bernie Sanders — his strongest remaining backer — urging him out, his path to staying in the race has narrowed to defying nearly the entire Democratic establishment.
