Maine Democratic Senate nominee Graham Platner is denying a caller allegation of intersexual assault, an explosive improvement injecting tumult into a contention that is cardinal to the Democratic Party’s way to winning backmost the Senate.
Despite the denial, Platner said successful a video that helium is taking “time to bespeak connected the champion way forward” with his candidacy, portion respective salient supporters revoked their endorsements.
On Monday, Politico reported that a erstwhile woman of Platner, Jenny Racicot, 41, of Maine, is alleging that successful 2021, Platner showed up astatine her location unannounced and drunk. She told the work that Platner had forced himself connected her.
“I retrieve him grabbing my pelvis and being truly forceful of me,” Racicot told Politico. “I retrieve the circumstantial infinitesimal wherever I thought to myself, like, ‘This is nary longer my choice.’”
CNN also posted an interview with Racicot connected Monday.
Graham Platner speaks astatine a municipality hallway lawsuit successful York, Maine, connected April 17, 2026.Sofia Aldinio for NBC NewsPlatner flatly denied the allegation and his run called it orchestrated and portion of a broader “smear” effort against him.
“These allegations are troubling, serious, and false. Any accusation of non-consensual behaviour is categorically untrue,” Platner said successful the statement. He also released a video denying the report, calling Racicot’s relationship “categorically false.”
In the video statement, Platner seemed to bespeak his candidacy was successful question, saying that “regardless of the inaccuracy of the reporting,” helium was “mindful of the governmental world it volition inflict; we are taking the clip to bespeak connected the champion way guardant for the authorities that I love, the radical that I love, the question I beryllium to, and the extremity of defeating Susan Collins.”
The run released a akin statement.
“These allegations are precise superior and Graham vigorously denies them. They are besides coached and coordinated by retired of authorities constitution operatives,” the campaign’s connection read.
However, Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., who has been a vocal backer of Platner, called the allegations “very superior and credible” and withdrew his support.
“I’ve been precise wide that intersexual battle oregon unit against women is simply a reddish line,” Khanna posted connected X. These allegations are precise superior and credible. Graham Platner should driblet retired from the race. I americium withdrawing my endorsement.”
Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., also posted calling the allegations “troubling and profoundly serious” and said he’s “rescinding my endorsement.”
NBC News did not independently verify the report, and done a representative, Racicot did not comment.
Politico said it besides reviewed messages betwixt Racicot and her therapist and spoke to 2 radical she told astir the incidental successful 2023.
Racicot earlier appeared successful a New York Times article that interviewed respective women who had dated Platner and recalled “unsettling” behavior. Racicot said she casually dated Platner betwixt 2019 and 2021.
She told the Times that Platner arrived astatine her location drunk successful 2021, adjacent though she had asked him not to travel over. She did not elaborate connected what other happened successful that report.
Racicot told Politico that she was torn astir coming forward due to the fact that she agrees with Platner politically but decided to due to the fact that she wants radical “to person a full scope of who helium is arsenic a person.”
Last week, NBC News reported that social media influencer Cheyenne Hunt, who is besides an lawyer and launched a women’s advocacy group, was moving with aggregate women who had contacted her aft they had idiosyncratic relationships with Platner. Platner canceled aggregate nationalist events implicit the weekend. On Monday, Hunt revealed Racicot was 1 of the women.
“Courageous women came guardant astatine large idiosyncratic hazard to exposure the truth, support different women, and guarantee that Maine voters are not forced to take betwixt a predator and a traitor to women,” Hunt said successful a statement. “With the caller allegations of rape and intersexual unit that were brought to light, it’s perfectly unquestionable: Graham Platner is not acceptable to clasp a United States Senate seat, oregon immoderate elected bureau for that matter.”
Platner’s run noted that the study came retired a week earlier July 13, which is the deadline nether Maine instrumentality for a wide predetermination campaigner to retreat arsenic a nominee. Platner won the Democratic superior connected June 9 with much than 70% support.
Before Politico published its story, a caller survey conducted by Tavern Research, a Democratic polling firm, circulated among Democrats and connected societal media. In summation to investigating the Platner-Collins Senate matchup and voters’ feelings astir each of the nominees, the canvass tested however voters felt astir a fig of different Maine Democrats, including respective who ran for different offices and mislaid successful the June primary.
Other figures tested successful the canvass included the histrion Patrick Dempsey and losing gubernatorial candidates Troy Jackson and Nirav Shah.
If Platner were to driblet retired of the Senate race, the authorities Democratic Party committee would past person until July 27 to regenerate him. But Platner’s run said that wouldn’t happen.
“For a year, opponents of this run person thrown everything they tin astatine Graham — calling him a Nazi, a warfare criminal, and a communist. None of it has been existent and this is nary different. It is not a coincidence that this communicative comes a week earlier the ballot deadline, conscionable arsenic the erstwhile mendacious allegations came a week earlier the primary,” the Platner run added successful its statement. “Graham began this run to combat for a Maine wherever everyone is treated with dignity and wherever Mainers are enactment first, and nary magnitude of hopeless smears volition halt this question from seeing that imaginativeness through.”
If you oregon idiosyncratic you cognize has been sexually assaulted, telephone the National Sexual Assault Hotline astatine 1-800-656-4673. The hotline, tally by the Rape, Abuse, & Incest National Network (RAINN), tin enactment you successful interaction with your section rape situation center. You tin besides entree RAINN’s online chat work astatine rainn.org/get-help.
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