Maine Senate candidate Platner faces withdrawal calls over assault allegation
Graham Platner, the progressive Marine veteran who won Maine’s Democratic Senate primary in April, faces mounting pressure to leave the race after a woman, Jenny Racicot, accused him of sexually assaulting her in late 2021 in an interview published July 6. Platner denied the allegation but said he was “taking the time to reflect on the best path forward.”
Support eroded quickly. Representative Ro Khanna and Senator Ruben Gallego pulled their endorsements, the Maine Democratic Party called for him to withdraw, and the group End Citizens United rescinded its backing, calling the allegation “disqualifying.” The Senate Democrats’ campaign arm also urged him to step aside.
The timing is the practical problem for the party. Platner would face Republican incumbent Susan Collins in a seat Democrats see as central to any path to a Senate majority. Under Maine law, the party can name a replacement only if he withdraws by July 13, with a substitute chosen by July 27 — a narrow window that turns his personal decision into a scheduling constraint for the whole race.