The cost of Khanna’s Platner alliance

In the blast radius from the sexual assault allegations against Graham Platner, few politicians are taking a harder hit than Silicon Valley Rep. Ro Khanna.

Khanna, arguably more than any other national Democrat, provided political cover for the renegade Maine Senate candidate. He stood by Platner as he was buffeted by a series of controversies and physically stood with him onstage at a campaign rally in Maine, one day after the New York Times reported on the oysterman's toxic behavior toward former girlfriends.

That alliance was severed Monday, after POLITICO reported on allegations that Platner sexually assaulted Jenny Racicot, a woman he once dated. Platner denied the allegation, saying that "any accusation of non-consensual behavior is categorically untrue."

But Khanna, who had earlier defended Platner as someone deserving of grace, had had enough.

"I've been very clear that sexual assault or violence against women is a red line. These allegations are very serious and credible. Graham Platner should drop out from the race. I am withdrawing my endorsement," he posted on social media roughly two hours after the story was published.

Khanna was quicker to break with Platner than other prominent Democratic supporters, including Sens. Ruben Gallego of Arizona and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts by a few hours. The Senate Democratic campaign arm vowed to not spend any money on the race if Platner remains on the ballot.

But Khanna's speed did not spare him the backlash for being such a steadfast supporter of Platner until this point, despite the Senate candidate's tattoo resembling a Nazi symbol or old offensive online posts. Republicans piled on to Khanna's post, accusing him of hypocrisy, and fellow Democrats were also critical.

"Ro Khanna, who I think has done Lord's work on the Epstein files — why he believes those women, but for some reason did not believe enough the previous women [making allegations against Platner] to withdraw his endorsement way before today, it's puzzling to me," Julie Roginsky, a Democratic strategist and cable news staple, said on CNN on Monday, minutes after Jake Tapper aired an interview with Platner's accuser.

Khanna bet big on Platner as a rising star among progressives, the wing of the party he has assertively courted in the run-up to a potential 2028 presidential run. For months, he basked in the attention that came with being a prominent surrogate for a buzzy Democrat in a top-tier Senate race. Now, that wager has proven to be a bust.

"Ro Khanna will always and forever be the Graham Platner defender" said one California Democratic strategist who was granted anonymity to speak frankly about the developing political dynamics. "I don't think damage control is going to fix the damage he's created by getting himself in the middle of this."

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