A 41-year-old woman has accused Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner of sexually assaulting her five years ago, according to a report from Politico published Monday. The accuser, Maine resident Jenny Racicot, said that Platner, a combat veteran whom she dated on and off for a couple of years, entered her home uninvited while under the influence one night in 2021.
“I remember him grabbing my pelvis and being really forceful of me,” Racicot told Politico. “I remember the specific moment where I thought to myself, ‘This is no longer my choice.’”
Platner Denies Allegations
Moments after the Politico report was published, Platner released a video rejecting the claims. “Any accusation of non-consensual behavior is categorically false,” he said in the video posted to social media. “Regardless of the inaccuracy of the reporting, we’re mindful the political reality 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.”
His campaign also denied the allegation in a statement to HuffPost. “These allegations are very serious and Graham vigorously denies them. They are also coached and coordinated by out of state establishment operatives,” the statement read. “For a year, opponents of this campaign have thrown everything they can at Graham – calling him a Nazi, a war criminal, and a communist. None of it has been true and this is no different. It is not a coincidence that this story comes a week before the ballot deadline, just as the previous false allegations came a week before the primary. Graham began this campaign to fight for a Maine where everyone is treated with dignity and where Mainers are put first, and no amount of desperate smears will stop this movement from seeing that vision through.”
Campaign Controversies
The report came after Platner had canceled several campaign events earlier on Monday. Platner’s campaign has been marked by a series of controversies, including a tattoo of a Nazi symbol, which has since been covered, explicit text messages sent to a woman who wasn’t his wife, and misogynistic past comments about rape online.
The New York Times reported early last month, before Platner won the primary, that several women who used to date him experienced troublesome behavior from him, which included infidelity, heavy drinking and more. “I take responsibility for all of that, and wish I had been better. Any characterization beyond that is false, and I believe, politically motivated,” he previously said in a statement to HuffPost in response. “I’m not proud of who I was then, but I am proud of the work I’ve done since, and the movement we are building in Maine.”
Political Fallout
Days later, Platner won the Democratic Senate primary in Maine on June 9, defeating Gov. Janet Mills and professor David Costello, and is set to face off against GOP candidate Susan Collins in the fall. The allegations in the Politico story have already led some known Platner supporters to revoke their support or distance themselves from him.
“The allegations reported today are profoundly disturbing and disqualifying. The conduct described is fundamentally inconsistent with the standards we expect from candidates,” Tiffany Muller, president of End Citizens United, said in a statement. She called on him to withdraw from the race.
New Mexico Sen. Martin Heinrich, who previously endorsed Platner, distanced himself in a statement. “These are very serious allegations and they should be treated as such,” Heinrich said. HuffPost reached out to both Mills and Collins for comment but did not immediately hear back.
Need help? Visit RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Online Hotline or the National Sexual Violence Resource Center’s website.
