Marine veteran Graham Platner’s campaign for the U.S. Senate is unraveling following a sexual assault allegation from a former girlfriend. The accusation triggered a rapid exodus of national Democratic endorsements on Monday. That threatens the party’s strategy to unseat Republican incumbent Susan Collins in a critical 2026 midterm battleground.
According to a Politico report published Monday, Jenny Racicot accused Platner of entering her home intoxicated in late 2021 and forcing himself on her despite repeated objections.
Platner responded with a video message. He denied the claims, calling them “troubling, serious, and false.” Yet his campaign canceled multiple scheduled town halls, with the candidate acknowledging his team is reflecting on the best path forward.
The political fallout was immediate. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand demanded his withdrawal. They issued a joint statement threatening to pull financial investments from the Maine race.
Representative Ro Khanna, Senator Ruben Gallego, the Maine Democratic Party, and progressive groups including Our Revolution formally rescinded their endorsements. Khanna specifically referred to the allegations as a red line.
This latest incident compounds an escalating series of scandals for the candidate. Platner won the Democratic primary in June while running as a blue-collar outsider. But his campaign has faced continuous turbulence over surfaced Reddit posts dismissing sexual assault victims, explicit text messages sent to women shortly after his marriage, and prior physical abuse allegations reported by past partners.
Time is running out for state party officials. Under Maine election law, Platner has until 5:00 p.m. on July 13 to officially withdraw. A state political committee would then be legally permitted to select a replacement nominee by the July 27 deadline ahead of the general election.