Graham Platner says he is taking time to consider the path forward after a rape allegation and mounting pressure from fellow Democrats to drop out of the Maine Senate race.
Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner says he is weighing his next steps after a rape allegation and growing calls from within his own party to drop out of the race.
Platner denied the allegation but stopped short of committing to staying in the race.
"I wanted to directly address the troubling serious and false allegations against me. Any accusation of non-consensual behavior is categorically false," he said.
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"Regardless of the inaccuracy of the reporting but mindful 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. Those were the goals we launched this campaign and they remain my goals today," Platner added.
Platner faces a tight deadline. He must withdraw by July 13 for Maine Democrats to be able to replace him by July 27.
Jenny Racicot accused Platner of entering her home uninvited and raping her in 2021. When asked directly whether Platner raped her, Racicot was unequivocal.
"By definition yes," she told CNN. "Absolutely."
"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," Racicot added.
Racicot said she is not coming forward for political reasons and that she agrees with many of Platner's policy positions.
Several of Platner's closest supporters, who had stood by him after a New York Times article last month detailing accusations of volatile behavior and domestic abuse in his romantic relationships, are now calling on him to step aside. Rep. Ro Khanna, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, and Sen. Ruben Gallego are among those withdrawing their support. The Democratic Party's fundraising arm has also said it will no longer support him financially if he does not step aside. Maine Democrats have formally asked him to leave the race.
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Platner has also faced scrutiny over a 2013 Reddit thread in which he criticized victims of sexual assault, writing that people should not get so drunk that they wind up having sex with someone they did not intend to, and that sexual assault victims should take responsibility for themselves. He later apologized and said he no longer holds those views. He has also drawn scrutiny over a Nazi tattoo he had on his chest for a period of time.
The turmoil threatens the Democratic Party's broader Senate strategy. Democrats had viewed the Maine seat as a genuine pickup opportunity, seeing five-term incumbent Sen. Susan Collins as vulnerable. Losing Platner as a candidate would force the party to target another Republican-held seat to reclaim the Senate majority.
