Platner Accused of Rape by Ex-Girlfriend, Says He Will Take Time To ‘Reflect’ on Future of Candidacy

The Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate race in Maine, Graham Platner, has been accused of rape by an ex-girlfriend in the latest scandal to hit the candidate. Mr. Platner denies the allegation, although he says that he is going to take time to “reflect” on his candidacy, suggesting that he may drop out of the race. Mr. Platner’s scandals over the course of the last 10 months — including the disclosure that he had a Nazi tattoo, allegations that he physically assaulted a woman, and that he had been sending sexual messages to women who are not his wife — have threatened Democrats’ chances of retaking the Senate majority this year. In recent months, Senator Susan Collins, the GOP incumbent, has brought the race to a statistical tie in the polls despite many once viewing the race as a layup win for Democrats. The exclusive report from Politico details allegations from a Maine woman named Jenny Racicot, who dated Mr. Platner on-and-off for years. She says he entered her home “almost blackout drunk” in 2021 after she told him not to come over and sexually assaulted her. She says he fell asleep at the house and the next morning said he did not remember what had happened the night before. “I remember him grabbing my pelvis and being really forceful of me,” Ms. Racicot told Politico, going into details about the alleged rape. “I remember the specific moment where I thought to myself, like, ‘This is no longer my choice.’”Mr. Platner forcefully denied the allegation in a video posted to X on Monday. Despite the denial, he says he will take time to assess whether or not to continue with this campaign. Mr. Platner says his chief goal is unseating Ms. Collins. “Regardless of the inaccuracy of the reporting, but mindful of the political reality it will inflict, we are taking the time to reflect on our best path forward,” he said. Ms. Racicot shared with Politico a number of emails and messages that seemed to corroborate her allegations. Politico reviewed emails between Ms. Racicot and her therapist who has known about the alleged assault for years and spoke to a former boyfriend to whom Ms. Racicot described the alleged attack in 2023 — two years before Mr. Platner launched his Senate campaign. Ms. Racicot also said she shared the details with the New York Times when it covered allegations against Mr. Platner in May, but she did not go on the record with the particulars. The Times named Ms. Racicot in the story but said she “did not elaborate” on Mr. Platner’s alleged conduct. Ms. Racicot told Politico that part of the reason she was hesitant about coming forward was because she agrees with Mr. Platner’s left-wing political views. Rumors began swirling over the weekend about another potentially devastating report on Mr. Platner’s actions. He skipped a Fourth of July parade on Saturday and later canceled a number of upcoming events which were scheduled to take place this week. On Monday, Mr. Platner’s campaign quietly postponed three town halls that he was due to hold this week, with his team providing no formal announcement explaining the delay. The links on his campaign website for the events simply went dark. The Gorham Democrats, a local committee with whom Mr. Platner was supposed to hold a town hall on Monday, said that the candidate was apparently not feeling well. “Unfortunately we did have to postpone — not cancel, postpone — Graham Platner’s event tonight. From my understanding, he’s not feeling well,” an organizer for Gorham Democrats said in a video posted to Facebook. “He will be back in Gorham, so don’t worry.”Mr. Platner, a first-time candidate and combat veteran of the Global War on Terror, was once viewed as a strong candidate for Democrats this cycle as he held a significant polling lead over Ms. Collins. Now, he and the longtime Republican incumbent are in a virtual tie in polling, well before Republicans begin blanketing the state with tens of millions of dollars in outside ad spending.Similar to the last bombshell reports about Mr. Platner’s past behavior toward women, the internet began buzzing over the weekend with speculation about another story of alleged misbehavior by the candidate. The earlier stories, emerging shortly before the primary, detailed allegations about Mr. Platner grabbing an ex-girlfriend and once remarking that he would rape a man if he broke into his house, though not in a “gay” way.During a meeting with Senate Democrats on Capitol Hill following the reporting, Mr. Platner told lawmakers no more shoes would drop. However, according to the Bangor Daily News, several Maine Democrats say they believed another damning story on Mr. Platner was in the works by a national news outlet. Mr. Platner has denied past allegations of physical violence, although has admitted to having some toxic personality traits in the past. The release on Monday of a poll of Maine voters testing the favorability ratings of Democrats in the state has led to speculation that party leaders are testing the waters for a potential replacement. The poll by Tavern Research shows Mr. Platner leading Ms. Collins by only four percentage points even though her job approval rating is 14 points underwater. Democrats whose favorability ratings were tested include the former state senate president, Troy Jackson, who recently lost the Democratic primary for governor after being endorsed by Senator Bernie Sanders; former Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention Director Nirav Shah, another failed gubernatorial candidate; state Senator Joe Baldacci, who lost the Democratic primary for the Second Congressional District; Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, who also lost the Democratic primary for governor; and Governor Janet Mills. Except for Ms. Mills, all of the aforementioned Democrats have net positive favorable ratings. One poll subject seemed out of place among the list — actor Patrick Dempsey, the star of “Grey’s Anatomy,” who hails from the Pine Tree State. He has long been active in political causes and is close with Senator Angus King, the state’s independent junior senator who caucuses with Democrats on Capitol Hill. Mr. Dempsey is by far the most popular figure tested in the polls with a favorable rating of 52 percent and an unfavorable rating of nine percent. If Mr. Platner decides to exit the race by next Monday, July 13, then the leadership of the Maine Democratic Party would vote within two weeks to choose a new Senate nominee. If Mr. Platner drops out of the race after July 13, then his name will remain on the ballot and Democrats would need to offer a replacement through a write-in campaign.

Platner Accused of Rape by Ex-Girlfriend, Says He Will Take Time To ‘Reflect’ on Future of Candidacy

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