Graham Platner, once a rising star in Maine’s U.S. Senate race backed by a left-wing coalition, faced a severe setback after a rape allegation surfaced. The accusation, made by 41-year-old Maine resident Jenny Racicot, triggered a crisis in Platner’s campaign starting Monday.
The allegation has thrown the Democratic Party’s strategy to defeat Republican Senator Susan Collins into disarray. Key figures within the party and its progressive wing have called for Platner to step down. Vermont Senator Bernard Sanders, who had supported Platner’s working-class insurgent campaign, urged him to withdraw to allow Maine Democrats to nominate a new candidate.
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a prominent figure in the party’s socialist faction, also stated it was time for Platner to exit the race. The far-left group Our Revolution recommended former Maine state Senate President Troy Jackson, a well-known liberal activist and recent gubernatorial primary candidate, as a replacement.
Devon Murphy-Anderson, executive director of the Maine Democratic Party, said the party is working to establish an open and fair process for selecting a new candidate but accused Platner amid the turmoil.
Platner had previously overcome controversies including inflammatory social media posts about women, a Nazi symbol tattoo he later covered, and sexually explicit texts sent after marriage. However, the rape allegation has significantly eroded his support base and placed his campaign on a precarious path.
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