Top Democrats call on Graham Platner to drop out as sexual assault allegation emerges

Washington — Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and the leadership of the Maine Democratic Party urged Senate nominee Graham Platner to drop out of the race Monday, after a bombshell Politico report accusing Platner of sexual assault.

Platner insisted the allegation is "categorically false" but said his campaign is reflecting on "the best path forward."

"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," Platner said in a video his campaign posted to X. "Those were the goals when we launched this campaign, and they remain my goals today."

A Maine woman, Jenny Racicot, told Politico that Platner entered her home without permission in late 2021 when he was drunk and forced himself on her. Racicot said the two met on a dating app in 2019 and had consensual relations before the night of the alleged sexual assault. 

Racicot later expanded on the allegations in a CNN interview in which she alleged Platner raped her "by definition." 

"He violated multiple layers of consent that night. By coming into my home when I asked him not to, and by advancing on me when I told him not to, and furthermore, another incident that I had told him not to do," Racicot said, referring to his alleged refusal to use protection.

She said: "In that moment, I evaluated my safety. … I basically felt safest just complying."

Platner denied the allegations, calling them "troubling, serious and false." 

"Any accusation of non-consensual behavior is categorically false," Platner said in the video posted shortly after the story broke. 

In a statement, his campaign called the allegations "coached and coordinated by out of state establishment operatives."

"For a year, opponents of this campaign have thrown everything they can at Graham –– calling him a Nazi, a war criminal, and a communist. None of it has been true and this is no different. It is not a coincidence that this story comes a week before the ballot deadline, just as the previous false allegations came a week before the primary. Graham began this campaign to fight for a Maine where everyone is treated with dignity and where Mainers are put first, and no amount of desperate smears will stop this movement from seeing that vision through," the statement said.

CBS News has not confirmed Racicot's accusation.

CBS News has reached out to Racicot.

The sexual assault allegation led several prominent Democrats and former Platner supporters to push him to end his campaign, which would set off a scramble to find a new Democratic nominee for the key Senate seat. Platner won the Democratic Senate primary last month, but under Maine election law, nominees can be replaced if they withdraw by 5 p.m. on the second Monday in July. After that, a political party has two weeks to select a new nominee.

The Maine Democratic Party urged Platner to withdraw as the nominee Monday. 

Schumer and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, who chairs the powerful Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, also called on Platner to "immediately withdraw" from the race in a joint statement.

"The DSCC will not invest in the Maine Senate race if Platner remains on the ballot," Schumer and Gillibrand said.

Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna of California, who campaigned with Platner after other allegations against him surfaced in recent months, pulled his endorsement Monday and said Platner should drop out of the race. 

"I've been very clear that sexual assault or violence against women is a red line. These allegations are very serious and credible," he wrote. 

Democratic Sen. Ruben Gallego of Arizona also rescinded his endorsement, saying the latest allegations are "troubling and deeply serious." 

Democratic activist Cheyenne Hunt, who founded the nonprofit Reckoning Action, called on Platner to end his campaign. Hunt is known for helping bring to light sexual assault and misconduct allegations against former Rep. Eric Swalwell, leading the Democrat to resign from Congress and suspend his campaign for California governor while still denying the allegations.

"Today we are calling on Platner to drop out and remove himself from the ballot — which he must do by July 13 — in order to give the party an opportunity to put forth a candidate who is qualified and best positioned to win in November," she said in a statement.

"With the new allegations of rape and sexual violence that were brought to light, it's absolutely unquestionable: Graham Platner is not fit to hold a United States Senate seat, or any elected office for that matter," she added.

In her interview with CNN, Racicot noted that she aligns with Platner's politics, but she felt compelled to come forward because "there are a lot of men in this world relying on the silence of women to be where they are, and I don't want to contribute to that." 

"I see his political videos, they get me fired up as well. I understand why people want someone like him in office, and I felt like me coming forward would essentially potentially take that away, and I felt really uncomfortable with the responsibility of and the weight of my story, and what that might do," she said.

The development is the latest in a spate of allegations and controversies that have marred Platner's campaign in recent months.  

For Platner, a 41-year-old veteran and oyster farmer, his entry onto the political scene with the launch of his campaign unearthed a series of personal controversies. He's since apologized for a number of problematic internet comments he made years ago and covered up a tattoo he got during his time in the Marines that is widely recognized as a Nazi symbol. But the allegations ramped up in the lead-up to last month's primary.

After Platner had effectively locked up the nomination following Maine Gov. Janet Mills' withdrawal from the race, The Wall Street Journal reported in late May that Platner's wife told his campaign he had sent sexually explicit text messages to other women. Days later, The New York Times reported on allegations of Platner's "unsettling" behavior toward women he dated, including one claim that he was physically abusive, which Platner has denied.

Amid the allegations ahead of the primary, Platner told MS NOW that he didn't expect additional allegations to emerge. At the time, he said "the fact that I was, you know, a bad boyfriend a decade ago" was something he had been transparent about. 

"There won't be anything new," Platner said. "It's going to be a rehashing of essentially the same stuff." 

The new allegations come as Platner is set to face off against GOP Sen. Susan Collins in November in a race that could be key to Democrats' hopes of winning control of the Senate. Democrats have tried for years to unseat Collins, who's been in the Senate since 1997 and wields significant power as chair of the Appropriations Committee. But as the only Republican seeking reelection in the Senate in a state that Vice President Kamala Harris won in 2024, Democrats have been more hopeful about their chances this cycle. 

Fearing the allegations against Platner could put a victory in jeopardy, some Democrats — including his former political director — have suggested that Platner should drop out of the race and allow the party to select a different nominee.

Two of Platner's highest-profile supporters — Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont — have not commented on the sexual assault allegation, but stood by him after prior allegations.

Warren has called him "the real deal." She told Boston station WCVB in late June, after The New York Times had reported on allegations of "unsettling" behavior toward women he dated, that "Graham Platner has said he is not proud of who he was, and he has taken responsibility and asked the people of Maine to judge him not for the worst things he did in the darkest part of his life, but based on the work he has done since then and his commitment to being out there fighting for working families every day."

Platner canceled a string of campaign events in recent days, the Bangor Daily News reported.

Platner told MS NOW last month that "not once" had he considered dropping out of the race. 

"Amy and I knew early on that we were going to take lumps, and we just, we're dedicated to this," Platner said. "It has never crossed our mind to drop out of this thing. I am fully committed to this until the end."