{"id":502,"date":"2026-07-06T22:41:18","date_gmt":"2026-07-06T22:41:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/americanindustryreview.com\/?p=502"},"modified":"2026-07-06T22:41:18","modified_gmt":"2026-07-06T22:41:18","slug":"platner-weighs-best-path-forward-as-he-denies-sexual-assault-allegation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/americanindustryreview.com\/?p=502","title":{"rendered":"Platner weighs \u2018best path forward\u2019 as he denies sexual assault allegation"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Graham Platner, the Democratic nominee for Senate in Maine, said Monday that he was \u201ctaking time to reflect on the best path forward\u201d as he denied a Politico report that he had sexually assaulted a woman he previously dated.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\u201cRegardless 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,\u201d Platner said in a video posted Monday to social media.<\/p>\n

Maine resident Jenny Racicot told Politico that Platner, with whom she had an \u201con and off relationship,\u201d forced her to have sex with him after arriving at her home intoxicated in late 2021. He entered her home uninvited and allegedly assaulted her, ignoring her repeated requests to stop, she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cAny accusation of nonconsensual behavior is categorically false,\u201d Platner said in the video.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Maine is considered a must-win seat for Democrats seeking to flip the Senate this year. Collins, the only Republican in the chamber to represent a state that Kamala Harris carried in 2024, is a top Democratic target.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Platner\u2019s announcement followed reporting Monday by the Bangor Daily News that his campaign had canceled a string of events Sunday and Monday as rumors swirled among Maine Democrats that another potentially damaging story was coming.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Under Maine state law, Democrats could replace Platner on the ballot if he were to drop out by 5 p.m. on the second Monday in July, which falls on July 13. The state party would then need to make a replacement by the fourth Monday of the month, July 27.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Racicot shared with Politico private Facebook messages that she exchanged with an acquaintance referring to Platner as \u201cconsensually careless\u201d and saying he \u201cdoesn\u2019t listen to you when drunk.\u201d<\/p>\n

She told Politico she was torn about going public.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the reasons I didn\u2019t come forward sooner was, the huge moral conflict that I had between supporting his politics, but not supporting him as a person,\u201d she said. \u201cI just want the truth out there. I just want people to have a whole scope of who he is as a person.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Politico report is the latest development in a race that has already seen numerous twists and turns. An oyster farmer and military veteran, Platner launched his Senate campaign last August with the support of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and quickly became a strong fundraiser, drawing large crowds to his events.\u00a0<\/p>\n

He went on to earn the support of notable progressives, including Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and California Rep. Ro Khanna, as his fiery populism seemed calibrated for a moment when the Democratic Party\u2019s left flank is celebrating a resurgence.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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About two hours after the Politico story dropped, Khanna announced he was withdrawing his endorsement.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been very clear that sexual assault or violence against women is a red line. These allegations are very serious and credible,\u201d Khanna, who gained national prominence advocating the release of files related to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, posted on social media. \u201cGraham Platner should drop out from the race.\u201d<\/p>\n

Platner officially won the party nomination last month, easily defeating Gov. Janet Mills, who had stopped actively campaigning in April amid fundraising struggles. Mills had entered the race with the backing of Senate Democratic leader Charles E. Schumer, who later announced his support for Platner after he became the nominee.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But since last fall, Platner\u2019s campaign has been dogged by a series of unflattering news stories. They included reports that he had a tattoo resembling a Nazi symbol and that he had made several Reddit posts that were derogatory to women and minorities. The New York Times reported shortly before the Democratic primary last month that Platner had sent sexually explicit text messages to women in the early days of his marriage and that he had been emotionally volatile in relationships with previous girlfriends. Racicot told the Times his behavior was \u201creckless\u201d and \u201cunsettling\u201d but did not share her assault allegation.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Still, the reports didn\u2019t appear to halt his momentum as polls found he continued to lead the Democratic primary race, as well as Collins in a general election matchup.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Platner met with a group of Democratic senators ahead of last month\u2019s primary, where he reportedly addressed concerns about his campaign. After he officially clinched the nomination, his progressive allies urged Democrats to back his campaign, given how crucial the state is to winning control of the Senate.<\/p>\n

While most of Platner\u2019s supporters had stood by his campaign after the various news reports over the past several months, that appeared to change Monday afternoon after the latest revelation.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Following Khanna\u2019s move, Arizona Sen. Ruben Gallego also rescinded his endorsement, calling the allegations against Platner \u201ctroubling and deeply serious.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

End Citizens United, a group that advocates an overhaul of the campaign finance system, called on Platner to drop out of the race.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe believe the best path forward for Maine Democrats is to move quickly to nominate a candidate who can earn voters\u2019 trust and who will center their campaign on ethical leadership, accountability and fighting corruption,\u201d ECU president Tiffany Muller said in a statement.<\/p>\n

Read more Trump ethics disclosure throws curveball at Senate crypto talks<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Graham Platner, the Democratic nominee for Senate in Maine, said Monday that he was \u201ctaking time to reflect on the best path forward\u201d as he denied a Politico report that he had sexually assaulted a woman he previously dated.  \u201cRegardless of the inaccuracy of the reporting but mindful of the political reality it will inflict, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":501,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-502","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-campaigns"],"yoast_head":"\nPlatner weighs \u2018best path forward\u2019 as he denies sexual assault allegation - American Industry Review<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/americanindustryreview.com\/?p=502\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Platner weighs \u2018best path forward\u2019 as he denies sexual assault allegation - 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