Graham Platner faces calls from Democrats to drop out of the U.S. Senate race in Maine after a woman accused him of rape

Graham Platner, the Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate in Maine, is facing mounting calls to drop out of the race after a woman said that he raped her nearly five years ago when they were dating — an allegation he denies.

The woman, Jenny Racicot, a 41-year-old Maine resident, said that the alleged incident occurred late in 2021, when a "heavily intoxicated" Platner entered her home and forced her to have sex with him.

"I remember him grabbing my pelvis and being really forceful of me," Racicot told Politico in a story that was published Monday. "I remember the specific moment where I thought to myself, like, 'This is no longer my choice.'"

He denied the claims.

"These allegations are troubling, serious, and false," Platner said in a statement. "Any accusation of non-consensual behavior is categorically untrue." 

Platner, a 41-year-old oyster farmer and military veteran, easily won last month's Democratic primary and was set to take on Republican Sen. Susan Collins in the 2026 midterm elections — a race Democrats view as critical to their chances of winning control of the Senate in November.

In a video posted to X later Monday, Platner again denied any wrongdoing, but added: "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."

Dems call for Platner to drop out

Top Democrats in the U.S. Senate and Maine's Democratic Party leaders have rescinded their endorsements for Platner, and are calling for him to drop out of the race.

"The allegations reported today are incredibly disturbing — violence, abuse and sexual assault are absolutely unacceptable," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, both of New York, said in a joint statement. "Graham Platner needs to immediately withdraw as the Democratic nominee for Senate and allow Maine Democrats the opportunity to choose a new candidate who can defeat Susan Collins."

They added that the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, which Gillibrand chairs, "will not invest in the Maine Senate race if Platner remains on the ballot."

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a Democrat from Massachusetts who campaigned for Platner ahead of the primary, also issued a statement calling for him to withdraw.

"Now, more than ever, we need leaders in Washington who reflect our values," Warren said. "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."

Campaign controversies

Even before the latest allegations surfaced, Platner's campaign had been besieged by a string of controversies.

Reddit posts

In October 2025, Platner came under fire for a series of old Reddit posts in which he appeared to endorse political violence and downplay sexual assault in the military. Platner apologized, saying they were made when he was struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder and depression after leaving the military.

Tattoo resembling Nazi symbol

The same month, Platner covered up a tattoo that appeared to resemble a Nazi symbol, saying he was unaware that the skull and crossbones inked on his chest looked similar to a Totenkopf or "death's head" adopted by Hitler's infamous Schutzstaffel (SS) unit. 

"I am not a secret Nazi," Platner said in a podcast interview, explaining that he got the original tattoo in 2007 in Croatia while he was out drinking with fellow Marines.

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"I absolutely would not have gone through life having this on my chest if I knew that — and to insinuate that I did is disgusting," Platner said in a separate statement. 

He covered it with what he said was a tattoo of "Celtic knot with some imagery around dogs because my wife Amy and I have two wonderful dogs that we love a lot."

Sexually explicit texts

In May, the New York Times reported that Platner had sent sexually explicit text messages to as many as a dozen women outside of their marriage in 2023, before launching his U.S. Senate campaign. He did not deny sending them; his wife, Amy Gertner, said in a video message that the couple had sought marriage counseling.

"No marriage is perfect, and I don't want a perfect marriage," Gertner said. "I want my marriage, and I want to be married to Graham."

'Unsettling' behavior

In June, the Times reported that several women who dated Platner, including Racicot, recalled his "reckless" and "unsettling" behavior.

Racicot told Politico that she did not initially disclose the specific assault claim because she didn't want to be known as a rape victim.

She also said she was torn because she agrees with Platner politically.

"One of the reasons I didn't come forward sooner was, the huge moral conflict that I had between supporting his politics, but not supporting him as a person," she said. "I just want the truth out there. I just want people to have a whole scope of who he is as a person."

What's next?

The state deadline to finalize the November ballot is June 13. If Platner were to drop out of the race before that date, Maine Democrats could replace him on the ballot. If he were to withdraw from the race after June 13, his name could be removed — but not replaced.

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, help is available. RAINN's National Sexual Assault Hotline is here for survivors 24/7 with free, anonymous help. Call 800.656.HOPE (4673) and visit online.rainn.org.