Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner faces sexual assault allegation, weighs campaign future

The allegation

Jenny Racicot, a 41-year-old Maine resident, told Politico that Graham Platner forced her to have sex in late 2021 after entering her home uninvited while intoxicated. She said she repeatedly told him to stop and that he ejaculated inside her despite her objections. Racicot described an on-and-off relationship with Platner spanning more than two years, ending after the alleged assault. She said she confronted him the next morning and he claimed not to recall the incident. Racicot provided Politico with therapist emails, Facebook messages from 2023 warning an acquaintance about Platner, and a subsequent partner who said she described the assault to him in 2023, two years before Platner's Senate run.

The look on his face and realizing what was happening, I just realized that, like, I am in a situation where there's no consent here.

Racicot said she had a "huge moral conflict" between supporting Platner's politics and not supporting him as a person, and she did not share the assault claim with the New York Times for a June story on his behavior with women because she did not want to be known as a rape victim.

Platner's response

Platner denied the allegation in a statement to Politico, calling it "troubling, serious, and false." In a video message posted on social media after the report, he said he and his campaign would "reflect on the best path forward." He stopped short of announcing a withdrawal but used the past tense when referring to his campaign, saying "we were united in a focus on defeating Susan Collins." His campaign abruptly cancelled scheduled events ahead of the Politico report.

Regardless of the inaccuracy of the reporting, but mindful of 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.

Previous controversies

Before his Senate run, Platner made controversial social media posts and got a tattoo associated with Nazi imagery, which he later covered up, saying he did not understand its meaning. In June, the New York Times published a story in which several women, including Racicot, described his "unsettling" behavior in past relationships. Racicot did not share the assault allegation at that time, citing her reluctance to be publicly identified as a victim.

Political implications

Platner won the Democratic primary last month and is set to challenge Republican incumbent Susan Collins in November. The ballot deadline is one week away, meaning Democrats could replace him if he drops out before then. The allegation adds to a series of controversies that have trailed Platner, and his campaign's abrupt cancellation of events signals internal turmoil.