Graham Platner, who until recently was the Democratic Party nominee for the US Senate in Maine, dropped out of the race on Wednesday after he was accused of rape.
“I intend to file the paperwork to withdraw. But the process needs to assure that what comes next is reflective of the Mainers who on June 9 turned out and showed that they are desperate for a new kind of politics,” Platner said on his X account.
“I’m immensely proud of what we have built,” Platner said, speaking of his campaign. “And I have the utmost faith that we will continue to build and move toward a better future.”
Platner’s decision came after Politico released a story on Monday featuring Jenny Racicot, a Maine resident who alleged that the oyster farmer “forced her to have sex with him nearly five years ago despite her repeated objections.” In a later interview that aired on Monday with CNN anchor Jake Tapper, Racicot said that Platner’s alleged actions met the definition of rape and recalled in detail her account of him drunkenly entering her home without permission, forcing himself upon her and then sleeping over until the following morning. She added that, when she ordered him to leave and never see her again, he did not ask why she was upset with him.
“Racicot said she had an on-and-off relationship with Platner,” Politico reported regarding Racicot’s claim, “for more than two years before he entered her rural Maine home uninvited one night in late 2021, deeply intoxicated, and forced himself on her while she repeatedly told him to stop. She said she cut off contact with him after telling him the encounter was not consensual.”
The rape accusation was the latest in a series of scandals that rocked Platner’s campaign. He has a Tottenkopf tattoo on his chest, a symbol often used by Nazis which he denied knowing had Nazi origins. He was found to have posted racist and sexist comments on Reddit, such as claiming African Americans don’t tip and saying about rape, “Holy f – – -, how about people just take some responsibility for themselves and not get so f – – – up they wind up having sex with someone they don’t mean to? Men and women, you make a choice to consume enough of a substance to lose your self control. So if you don’t want to be in a compromising [sic] situation, act like an adult for f – – – sake.”
In addition, he was found to have sexually texted a number of women, raising questions about him being potentially unfaithful. Despite these various controversies, Platner insisted on staying in the race, ultimately winning the party’s nomination in large part because his opponents — most notably Maine Gov. Janet Mills — had already dropped out by that point. Meanwhile, despite having a seven-to-nine point lead over Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) as of May, a Fox News poll in early July found Collins had a slight lead over Platner.
Now that Platner is out of the race, Democrats will have an opportunity to replace him, although they must do so before July 27th. First Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows (D) will need to officially remove him from the ballot. Then Maine Democratic State Committee Chair Charlie Dingman will need to convene a nomination meeting, and it must choose a candidate prior to the aforementioned July 27th deadline.