Dems Press Platner to Quit Maine Senate Race Over Assault
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- Jenny Racicot, 41, told Politico that Platner entered her Maine home uninvited and sexually assaulted her after an on-and-off two-year relationship, alleging he appeared heavily intoxicated; she had previously been one of three women interviewed by the New York Times last month.
- Bernie Sanders, once Platner's most prominent backer, reversed course and said he had 'recommended that he step aside,' joining Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, Sens. Elizabeth Warren, Cory Booker, Kirsten Gillibrand, Elissa Slotkin, Martin Heinrich, Ruben Gallego, Rep. Ro Khanna, and NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani in calling for his exit.
- The DSCC will not invest in the Maine Senate race if Platner remains on the ballot, and Platner must withdraw by 13 July for the state to replace him — a hard deadline as former state Senate president Troy Jackson filed an FEC exploratory committee and former public health director Nirav Shah publicly weighed a run.
- Lyndsey Fifield, who dated Platner from 2013-15, told the Washington Post he repeatedly removed condoms during sex without her consent — a practice known as 'stealthing' that is illegal in Maine but not explicitly unlawful under a specific Washington DC statute where the alleged incidents occurred.
- Platner denied all allegations as 'categorically false' but said he was 'taking the time to reflect on the best path forward,' postponing campaign events; he has refused to drop out despite the unified pressure from party leadership.
- Platner's campaign had already been battered by prior scandals, including a chest tattoo resembling a Nazi 'Totenkopf' symbol, 14-year-old Reddit posts telling sexual assault victims to 'take some responsibility,' and his own admission of sexually explicit texts to women outside his marriage.
Why it matters: The Maine Senate race is pivotal to Democrats' longshot bid to flip the chamber and unseat 30-year incumbent Susan Collins, but the DSCC's funding cutoff and the July 13 ballot deadline leave the party little room to maneuver. With Platner refusing to withdraw despite unanimous pressure from Sanders, Schumer, and the party's 2028 bench, Democrats risk either losing a winnable seat or running a nominee under a cloud of multiple credible sexual misconduct allegations.
