Graham Platner is facing calls to end his Senate bid in Maine, following an allegation of sexual assault, the latest in a string of controversies against the Democratic candidate.
Politico reported Monday an account made by Platner’s former girlfriend, who alleges that in 2021, Platner entered her home intoxicated in rural Maine and forced her to have sex over her repeated objections. NPR has not independently verified the claims; in a statement Platner denied them.
“These allegations are troubling, serious, and false. Any accusation of non-consensual behavior is categorically untrue,” he said.
Within hours of the story, a cascade of Democratic lawmakers called on Platner to exit the race, including Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, chair of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.
“The DSCC will not invest in the Maine Senate race if Platner remains on the ballot,” they said in a statement.
The Maine Democratic Party called on Platner to withdraw from the race, as did one of Platner’s most high-profile supporters in Congress, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass.
“Now more than ever we need leaders in Washington who reflect our values. There can be no tolerance for sexual assault. Working families are counting on Democrats to win the Senate election in Maine to unrig our economy and hold Donald Trump accountable. With so much at stake, the best path forward is for Graham Platner to step aside as the Democratic nominee and address these serious allegations outside this Senate race,” Warren said in a statement.
Platner would need to end his bid for Senate by July 13 in order for Maine Democrats to nominate a replacement in time for the general election, according to Maine election law. Were that to happen, “a political committee” would have until July 27 — the fourth Monday in July — to select a replacement.
‘We are taking the time to reflect’
Despite his denial of the allegations in the Politico story, Platner released a video on social media saying, “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.”
The allegations have far-reaching implications for Democrats and their hopes of winning back the majority in the Senate in this fall’s midterm elections. The party needs to net a total of four seats to take control of the chamber, and Maine is key to that effort. President Trump lost the state in 2024, and party officials believe incumbent Susan Collins could be vulnerable in a year when Republicans are facing political headwinds.
But the allegations around Platner have complicated what was already a narrow path back to power for Democrats. Since launching his campaign last August, the first-time candidate has been the subject of multiple scandals surrounding his private life.
In June, The New York Times published accounts from three women who previously had romantic relationships with Platner, and characterized his behavior as “unsettling.” They described how Platner could be demeaning toward women, and in one instance, physically threatening.
The woman who accused Platner of assault in the Politico story was included in the Times piece, but did not include the specific assault allegation there.
In response to the reporting, Platner took responsibility for what he called a “very dark period of my life,” telling the Times that he often abused alcohol and was “a far from perfect boyfriend,” though he also added that “any characterization beyond that is false, and I believe, politically motivated.” In a subsequent interview with Maine Public Radio, Platner said any suggestion that he engaged in physically threatening behavior was “just not true.”
Just days before the Times story was published, the Wall Street Journal reported that Platner had exchanged sexually explicit messages with multiple women, towards the start of his marriage. Platner’s campaign has since confirmed the story.
The campaign has also had to grapple with old, deleted Reddit posts by Platner that resurfaced last fall and show him making insensitive comments about Black and LGBTQ+ people, and disparaging sexual assault victims.
Plus, the Maine Democrat has acknowledged that in 2007 he unknowingly got a tattoo on his chest that resembled a Nazi symbol. Platner has said he was unaware of the association and has since covered up the symbol.
Throughout his campaign, Platner has spoken at length about his past struggles dealing with post traumatic stress disorder as a result of multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. And he has framed them as a sign of his authenticity and relatability to voters.
“It’s very clear that here in the state of Maine, the voters really do understand that I am who I claim to be,” Platner told NPR at the end of May. “I’m a very real person, warts and all. If people in the Democratic Party in other states don’t like me, that’s not really my problem.”
