Schumer urges Platner to quit Maine Senate race after sex-assault claim

Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer is urging Graham Platner to bow out of the Maine Senate race after a new allegation of sexual assault surfaced — the most serious blow yet to a campaign already defined by controversy.

Mr. Schumer and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, chair of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, the campaign arm for Senate Democrats, didn’t mince words. 

In a joint statement, the two New York Democrats said the latest accusation was “incredibly disturbing” and said Mr. Platner should “immediately withdraw as the Democratic nominee for Senate and allow Maine Democrats the opportunity to choose a new candidate who can defeat Susan Collins.” 

They added that the DSCC won’t spend in the race if Mr. Platner stays on the ballot.

Leaders of the Maine Democratic Party also demanded Mr. Platner pull the plug on his campaign.

Mr. Platner’s campaign moved into crisis mode after Politico reported Monday that Jenny Racicot, a 41-year-old Maine resident who dated Mr. Platner on and off for two years, says he showed up drunk at her home uninvited late one night in 2021 and forced her to have sex with him despite her repeated objections.

Mr. Platner denied the allegation in a video posted on social media, calling it “false,” but acknowledged he’s reassessing his future in the race.

“So, regardless of the inaccuracy of the reporting, but mindful of the political reality it will inflict, we are taking the time to reflect on the best path forward for the state that I love, the people that I love, the movement I belong to, and the goal of defeating Susan Collins,” he said.

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If Mr. Platner steps aside by next Monday, Democrats would have until July 27 under state law to choose a replacement — a window that’s rapidly closing in a race Mr. Schumer and national Democrats likely need to flip the Maine seat to have any shot at flipping the Senate as a whole this fall.

Mr. Platner has survived plenty of turbulence already: inflammatory social media posts, a tattoo he later covered up that’s widely recognized as a Nazi symbol, and sexually explicit texts he sent to women after getting married.

None of it slowed his rise with the Bernie Sanders wing of the party, which rallied behind him so forcefully that Gov. Janet Mills — Mr. Schumer’s preferred candidate and a fixture of Maine politics — suspended her primary campaign weeks before the primary.

But Ms. Racicot’s allegation appears to be different.

It’s already peeling away some of Mr. Platner’s most loyal progressive allies, including Rep. Ro Khanna of California and Sen. Ruben Gallego of Arizona, both of whom announced they were withdrawing their support.

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“These allegations are very serious and credible,” Mr. Khanna said on social media. “Graham Platner should drop out from the race. I am withdrawing my endorsement.”

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Seth McLaughlin

smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com

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