By Staff Reporter |
Graham Platner has dropped out of the Maine Senate race.
His exit comes after Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) withdrew his endorsement of Platner following widespread criticism of the candidate.
This is the second candidate in nearly as many months that Gallego has backed off endorsing over sexual assault claims. Back in April, Gallego rescinded his endorsement of his longtime best friend: California gubernatorial candidate and resigned congressman, Eric Swalwell.
Although other allegations against Platner detailing unseemly behavior began to emerge earlier this year, it wasn’t until reporting came out this week detailing a sexual assault allegation that Gallego ended his support.
“The allegations against Graham Platner are troubling and deeply serious,” said Gallego. “I am rescinding my endorsement.”
Gallego declined to rescind his endorsement after an initial accusation of assault emerged from 40-year-old conservative pundit Lyndsey Fifield in New York Times reporting. Fifield and others have speculated that Gallego opted not to act because he was less inclined to believe Fifield’s claims. This new allegation claiming sexual assault came from a 41-year-old Maine resident and massage therapist, Jenny Racicot.
Racicot accused Platner of raping her in 2021 when he was heavily intoxicated. Racicot offered accounts of the alleged assault in exclusive interviews with CNN and Politico. Racicot had initially lent some insight to the media about Platner’s “reckless” and “unsettling” behavior, but decided to come forward with her story after witnessing the doubts raised against Fifield’s testimony.
Platner issued a short video statement calling the allegations “troubling, serious, and false,” and that all accusations of nonconsensual behavior were untrue. Platner also indicated he would take time to “reflect” on the future of his Senate campaign.
Gallego had praised Platner as a unifier across varied voting demographics, defending him against discoveries of Platner having acquired a tattoo of the Nazi military’s skull and crossbones known as a Totenkopf, and aligned himself publicly with Antifa and socialism.
“Platner can bring out new voters, can bring out cross-voters,” said Gallego. “This guy is an authentic man.”
The senator also defended Platner’s online indications of sexual deviancy as typical military behavior. Platner had admitted to a habit of masturbating into portable public toilets and appreciating the explicit graffiti on restroom walls.
Gallego described Platner as “relatable,” though other veterans serving in Congress disagreed.
The Republican Party of Arizona called Gallego “just another fat rat jumping off the various sinking socialists’ ships.”
Other Democrats who have held onto their endorsements of Platner have also begun bowing out.
The Democratic nominee for Maine governor, Hannah Pingree, called the allegations “deeply disturbing” and urged Platner to exit the race.
“Democrats need a nominee who can beat Susan Collins in November. Graham Platner is no longer that candidate,” said Pingree. “Graham Platner tapped into something real — voters hungry for change showed up with real passion and energy. That energy doesn’t have to go away. It needs a new candidate to carry it forward.”
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