Graham Platner’s troubled Senate campaign in Maine has effectively collapsed after a rape allegation prompted almost all of his Democratic allies to distance themselves from his candidacy.
Platner announced his decision in a video shared on social media on Wednesday.
“We believe that for the movement to continue, it can’t be me. And for that reason, we are suspending campaign operations,” he said.
“This is incredibly difficult because I know that some will think it’s an admission of guilt, and it most certainly is not,” he continued. “We’re not doing it because of the allegations. We’re doing it because of the structures that are being taken away from us by those in power.”
Despite a series of controversies surrounding his campaign — including a chest tattoo critics said resembled a Nazi symbol, deleted Reddit posts containing offensive remarks, and reports that he sent sexually explicit messages to women while married — many Democrats initially continued to back Platner.
However, the turning point came after a Politico report published on Monday, in which Jenny Racicot, a woman who previously dated Platner, accused him of entering her home in 2021 while intoxicated, without her consent, and sexually assaulting her. Platner has denied the allegation, saying, “Any accusation of non-consensual behavior is categorically untrue.”
Before the Politico report was published, Jenny Racicot had appeared in a New York Times story alongside two other women who previously had romantic relationships with Platner, describing his behaviour as “unsettling.” At the time, she did not disclose the alleged rape. She has since spoken publicly about the accusation and explained to CNN why she was initially reluctant to come forward.
Following the publication of the Politico report, Platner suggested his campaign’s future was uncertain, saying in a video shared on social media that he was “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.”
As the controversy intensified, several prominent Democrats, including Representatives Ro Khanna and Senators Ruben Gallego and Elizabeth Warren, withdrew their endorsements of Platner. He also lost the backing of one of his earliest supporters, Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, while the Maine Democratic Party publicly urged him to end his Senate bid.
The biggest setback came when the campaign organisation responsible for electing Senate Democrats announced it would not commit resources to the race if Platner remained the party’s candidate.
Pressure continued to mount on Platner for more than 48 hours, as fellow Democrats urged him to quickly withdraw from the race before key electoral deadlines. Under Maine election laws, he had until Monday, July 13, to step down if the state Democratic Party was to choose a replacement candidate ahead of the July 27 deadline.
