New allegation of sexual assault hits Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner

Jenny Racicot said Graham Platner entered her home uninvited in late 2021 and forced himself on her after an on-and-off dating relationship that lasted from 2019 to 2021. Racicot, a 41-year-old Maine resident, said she had tried for years to put the episode behind her, telling CNN, “This is something that I tried for many years to forget.”

Racicot said Platner was deeply intoxicated when he came into her home and that she repeatedly told him to stop. She told POLITICO, “I remember him grabbing my pelvis and being really forceful of me,” and added, “This is no longer my choice.” Her account has pushed a race that was already under strain into a new round of scrutiny, with questions now centering on credibility, power, and the pace at which institutions respond when a candidate faces serious accusations.

Platner denied the allegation and said any accusation of non-consensual behavior is “categorically untrue.” He described the accusation as “troubling” and “serious,” and said on social media that he was “taking the time to reflect on the best path forward” for his candidacy. Platner is the Maine Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate and faces Republican Sen. Susan Collins in November.

The case has also intensified pressure on Maine Democrats, who can replace a candidate on the ballot only if he withdraws before the July 13 deadline, with a replacement due by July 27. Party leaders Charlie Dingman, Imke Schessler and Devon Murphy-Anderson called on Platner to step aside, saying the party stands with “women and survivors.” State Senate President Mattie Daughtry also urged him to leave the race.

Platner’s campaign had already been dogged by other controversies, including since-deleted Reddit posts in which he advocated violent political action, comments describing himself as a “communist,” accusations about his behavior with women, and a tattoo resembling a Nazi Totenkopf symbol that he later covered up. He launched his campaign in August 2025 and won the June 9 Maine Democratic primary with 156,084 votes, or 72.1 percent, after Janet Mills dropped out in April 2026 but remained on the ballot.

The fallout has spread beyond Maine. Rep. Ro Khanna and Sen. Ruben Gallego withdrew or condemned their support, while senators including Mark Kelly, Catherine Cortez Masto, Tammy Duckworth and John Fetterman have declined to fully back Platner or said he still has work to do. The race for Susan Collins’ seat was already one of Democrats’ central targets in the Senate, and the allegation has made Platner’s viability a live question just as the ballot clock is running out.