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Maine Senate candidate Platner urged to drop out

Maine Senate candidate Platner urged to drop out

Democrats and progressives on Monday called for Maine Democratic candidate Graham Platner to end his Senate campaign amid a new accusation of sexual assault.

“I’ve been very clear that sexual assault or violence against women is a red line,” Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), previously a vocal defender of the Senate candidate, wrote on social media. “These allegations are very serious and credible. Graham Platner should drop out from the race. I am withdrawing my endorsement.”

On the social platform X, Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) called the allegations against Platner “troubling and deeply serious.”

“I am rescinding my endorsement,” Gallego wrote.

Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) also withdrew support for Platner.

“The allegations reported today are incredibly disturbing –– violence, abuse and sexual assault are absolutely unacceptable,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), DSCC’s leader and chair, respectively, said in a joint statement.

Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) called the allegations “appalling” in his own statement.

“If accurate, they reveal conduct that is completely unacceptable and incompatible with the integrity we should demand from those seeking office. I can no longer support Graham Platner’s candidacy. He should step aside.”

The Senate Majority PAC said Platner should quit the race “having lost the trust of the people of Maine,” and that it will redirect its resources away from the race.

“We continue to believe this seat is winnable if Platner is not on the ballot, but we cannot strategically continue to invest here when there is an expensive battleground map where these resources can help win a Democratic majority,” Senate Majority PAC spokesperson Lauren French said in a statement. 

Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) said he “cannot support” Platner’s candidacy and called the allegations “deeply disturbing and must be taken seriously.”

Florida Senate candidate Alex Vindman (D) said that being a father and husband, “I have zero tolerance for physical or sexual misconduct.”

“I’ve always called balls and strikes regardless of party, and in this case, I believe Graham Platner should immediately drop out,” he wrote on X. “These allegations are extremely serious, disturbing, and disqualifying.”

End Citizens United also withdrew its endorsement for Platner.

“The conduct described is fundamentally inconsistent with the standards we expect from the candidates we support,” Tiffany Muller, End Citizens United president, said in a statement. “No candidate, elected official, or political party is exempt from accountability.”

Maine’s Democratic Party called for a candidate “who represents our values and who carries our banner” in withdrawing its support.

“Over the past several weeks, multiple women have made serious, credible allegations against Graham Platner,” state party leaders said in withdrawing its endorsement. “Today’s statements take those allegations even further.”

Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.) also called on Platner to drop out of the race, writing on social media that he has “no endorsement to rescind.”

Our Revolution, the grassroots political organization started by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who also endorsed Platner, withdrew its endorsement. 

“Everyone deserves a fair and open process, and Graham Platner is entitled to due process like anyone else,” Our Revolution Executive Director Joseph Geevarghese said in a statement. “But the allegations against him are credible, and at this point they are too serious to treat as a distraction from the campaign or issues.”

Geevarghese called sexual violence “a red line” and said Our Revolution called on Platner to drop out. 

Sanders has not withdrawn his endorsement of Platner as of Monday night.

Democratic activist David Hogg called the allegations “horrific, full stop” and said Platner should step aside “and let a strong Democratic replacement run.”

Author and Maine resident Stephen King, who also endorsed Platner, wrote on X that he hopes Platner does not drop from the race. 

“Meanwhile, the Abuser in Chief just keeps on keepin’ on,” he wrote in a jab at President Trump.

Politico reported earlier on Monday that Maine resident Jenny Racicot accused Platner of forcing her to have sex with him while he was intoxicated in 2021.

Racicot told CNN’s Jake Tapper on Monday that she agreed with Platner’s politics, even after she said he “violated multiple layers of consent.”

“I’m not mad at anyone who has voted for him all along,” Racicot said. “If he wasn’t who he was, I would be voting for him as well. Then going forward, I don’t know what’s going to happen.”

Racicot said she stayed quiet because there are “a lot of men in this world relying on the silence of women, and to be where they are, and they don’t want to contribute to that.”

“I also wanted to just get my life back,” she said.

Racicot added that she disagrees with anyone who believes her speaking out is politically motivated, as she said she “really” agrees with his politics. 

“I think we need somebody with those political stances and who are willing to do the work, and, you know, I see his political videos,” she said. “They get me fired up as well. I understand why people want someone like him in office. And I felt like me coming forward would essentially potentially take that away.”

Platner’s opponent in the race, Sen. Susan Collins (R), told The Hill’s broadcast partner NewsNation that the allegations were “appalling.”

“Nevertheless, it is not up to me to choose the Democratic nominee for Senate,” she said.

Left-wing Twitch streamer Hasan Piker said he believed the allegations after reading the story to those watching his stream on Monday, calling it “curtains” for the oyster farmer.

“The messages of him being a dog or whatever, like him f—ing around and talking to other women, all of that stuff shows that someone is … not of the highest moral character,” Piker said, referring to The New York Times article published in June that spoke with women Platner used to date. “But this is something beyond that,” he added.

Platner vehemently denied the allegations in a video shared to social media.

“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 in the video.

Updated at 10:11 p.m. EDT

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