Jenny Racicot, a 41-year-old woman from Maine who previously dated Graham Platner, the Democratic Party's Senate hopeful, has accused him of sexually assaulting her in 2021. Platner has denied the allegation but has paused his campaign amid the controversy.

Racicot had earlier spoken with The New York Times and was mentioned in a June report concerning Platner's history of toxic relationships. However, she declined to provide details at that time. She later told Politico that she chose to share her full story publicly after it became apparent that another accuser, Lyndsey Fifield, would not be sufficient to end Platner's campaign.

According to Racicot, the incident involved Platner entering her home while blackout intoxicated despite her protests. She emphasized that the encounter was not a case of misinterpreted signals or withdrawn consent during an otherwise consensual encounter.

Platner has lost support from key backers and is expected to drop out of the race by July 13, allowing Maine Democrats to seek a new candidate to challenge the incumbent Republican senator.

Some have dismissed the allegations as "wholly ginned up media creations," but the seriousness of Racicot's claim has made it difficult for Platner's campaign to continue.

Sources

  • Reason
  • The New York Times (referenced)
  • Politico (referenced)