{"id":344,"date":"2026-07-09T04:17:12","date_gmt":"2026-07-09T04:17:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businessmovingservicess.com\/?p=344"},"modified":"2026-07-09T04:17:12","modified_gmt":"2026-07-09T04:17:12","slug":"graham-platner-ends-senate-campaign-amid-sexual-assault-allegations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businessmovingservicess.com\/?p=344","title":{"rendered":"Graham Platner Ends Senate Campaign Amid Sexual Assault Allegations"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\nGraham Platner, the Democratic party\u2019s nominee for Senate in Maine, ended his campaign today amid allegations that he sexually assaulted a woman in 2021. \u201cWe believe that for the movement to continue, it can\u2019t be me,\u201d Platner said in a video. \u201cAnd for that reason, we are suspending campaign operations.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\n\tDemocrats will now have to select a replacement candidate for the November election against incumbent Republican Senator Susan Collins.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tIn the 11-minute video, which he posted to social media, Platner repeatedly denied the accusations made against him, while calling on Maine voters to continue the fight. \u201cI learned about this through press inquiries with no time to truly respond,\u201d he said. \u201cNo time for investigations before a corporate media system and the political establishment got to act as judge, jury, and executioner.\u201d He noted that he wasn\u2019t sure what would happen with the nomination, but that voters should stay true to the ideals his campaign represented. \u201cWhat comes next,\u201d he said, \u201cneeds to come from the people of Maine, needs to come from the voters who on June 9\u2026 voted for a politics that would actually represent them, voted against the political system, against the donor class, against the entrenched forces.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\n\tThough his progressive politics struck a chord with voters, his campaign has suffered numerous setbacks. After months of increasingly concerning reports regarding Platner\u2019s past behavior \u2014 including controversy over a Nazi tattoo and reports of mistreating his former romantic partners \u2014 Politico <\/em>reported on Monday that Platner had allegedly assaulted a former girlfriend after barging into her home uninvited while drunk.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tJenny Racicot, a Maine resident, told outlets she had an on again, off again relationship with Platner for a period of about two years. She described to Politico<\/em> an alleged 2021 incident in which Platner arrived at her home \u201calmost blackout drunk,\u201d after she specifically told him not to come over. She said he let himself in and forced her into sex while ignoring her protests. Racicot further alleged that Platner had unprotected sex with her despite not being on birth control and her pleading with him not to.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\n\t\u201cThe look on his face and realizing what was happening, I just realized that, like, I am in a situation where there\u2019s no consent here,\u201d she told Politico<\/em>. Racicot said that Platner claimed not to recall the assault the next morning, and she broke off contact with him shortly after confirming she was not pregnant. Racicot provided Politico <\/em>with extensive documentation and corroborating sources of her account, including text messages where she warned an acquaintance who was interested in dating Platner that he was \u201cconsensually careless,\u201d especially when drunk. Platner has denied the accusations.<\/p>\n

\n\tOn Tuesday, Lyndsey Fifield, a Republican strategist who dated Platner between 2013 and 2015, told The Washington Post<\/em> that Platner had repeatedly removed condoms during sex without telling her \u2014 a practice known as \u201cstealthing\u201d \u2014 knowing that she was not on birth control. Fifield was the first woman to publicly accuse Platner of sexual impropriety, telling the New York Times <\/em>in June that Platner had roughly grabbed her during arguments. On Tuesday, she reiterated her accusations to CNN, saying that one incident left her bruised. Platner called these allegations \u201ccategorically false and politically motivated.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tCalls for Platner to bow out of the race began virtually immediately after Politico\u2019s <\/em>report broke, and continued in the subsequent days. On Tuesday,\u00a0the Maine State Democratic Party publicly called for Platner to resign in a statement signed by the top three members of its leadership.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThe Maine Democratic Party leadership stands with women and survivors, and that principle does not bend based on party affiliation. We respect the women who made the hard decision to come forward. Speaking up is often costly,\u201d the Maine Democrats wrote. \u201cWe are entrusted with deciding who represents our values and who carries our banner. That responsibility requires judgment, leadership, and a willingness to act when circumstances demand it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\n\tIn a separate statement, the party noted that \u201ctime is also of the essence\u201d given that Platner must withdraw by July 13 in order to legally be removed from ballots. \u201cIf the Platner campaign does not suspend by the 13th, there will be no option to select a new nominee,\u201d Democrats wrote. The party has until July 27 to select a replacement.<\/p>\n

\n\tNational leaders and prominent Democratic figures also called on Platner to step down, or withdrew their endorsements.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\n\t\u201cGraham Platner needs to immediately withdraw as the Democratic nominee for Senate and allow Maine Democrats the opportunity to choose a new candidate who can defeat Susan Collins,\u201d Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said is a joint statement with his fellow New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.).\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tRep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), who campaigned for Platner, wrote on social media that \u201csexual assault or violence against women is a red line. These allegations are very serious and credible. Graham Platner should drop out from the race. I am withdrawing my endorsement.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tSen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), who also championed Platner\u2019s candidacy, said in a statement that \u201cthere can be no tolerance for sexual assault.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWith so much at stake, the best path forward is for Graham Platner to step aside as the Democratic nominee and address these serious allegations outside this Senate race,\u201d Warren wrote.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tJon Favreau, host of Pod Save America<\/em>, where Platner was interviewed at length multiple times, including about the various scandals swirling around the campaign, wrote that \u201cPlatner needs to drop out ASAP \u2014 these are awful, credible allegations.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tPlatner did not immediately bow to these demands. In a video statement issued Monday, Platner said that he was \u201ctaking the time to reflect on the best path forward.\u201dJust two days later, he made his decision and bowed out, leaving Democrats in a must-win race more vulnerable than ever.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Democratic Candidate Graham Platner dropped out of the Maine Senate race amid multiple reports of sexual assault and coercion from past partners.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":343,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[127],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-344","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-breaking"],"yoast_head":"\nGraham Platner Ends Senate Campaign Amid Sexual Assault Allegations - Business Moving Services<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/businessmovingservicess.com\/?p=344\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Graham Platner Ends Senate Campaign Amid Sexual Assault Allegations - 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