Graham Platner exits Maine Senate race after rape allegation

Graham Platner, the Democratic nominee for a US Senate seat in Maine, said Wednesday that he was suspending his campaign after a rape allegation threatened his party's effort to defeat Republican Senator Susan Collins.

Platner, a 41-year-old Marine veteran, oysterman and political newcomer, won the Democratic primary last month. He said in a video posted on X that he intended to file paperwork to withdraw.

“This is incredibly difficult, because I know that some will think it's an admission of guilt, and it most certainly is not,” Platner said.

Politico reported Monday that Jenny Racicot, a 41-year-old Maine resident who previously dated Platner, accused him of forcing her to have sex in late 2021 despite her repeated objections. Platner denied the allegation, calling it “troubling, serious and false” and saying any accusation of non-consensual behaviour was “categorically untrue”.

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee chair Kirsten Gillibrand urged him to withdraw and warned that the party's campaign arm would not invest in the Maine race if he stayed on the ballot.

Under Maine law, Democrats can replace Platner because he withdrew before a July 13 deadline. The state party has until July 27 to choose a new nominee.

Collins, a five-term Republican, is a top Democratic target in the November midterm elections as the party seeks to regain control of the US Senate.