Senator Bernie Sanders has called on Graham Platner to withdraw from the U.S. Senate race in Maine, citing “very serious allegations” of sexual assault. The progressive senator’s statement came just hours before the embattled nominee faced another claim of sexual misconduct.
Allegations and Political Fallout
In a report published by Politico on Monday, Jenny Racicot, 41, who previously dated Platner, alleged that he forced her to have sex despite repeated objections. Racicot described the incident, which she said occurred five years ago while Platner was heavily intoxicated, as rape. Platner has denied the allegations.
The initial report prompted a wave of prominent Democrats to urge Platner to step aside as the party’s nominee in the consequential Senate contest. Platner has stated he is “taking the time to reflect on the best path forward.”
Sanders, one of Platner’s earliest and most influential supporters, was among the latest to call on him to withdraw. “I have spoken with Graham Platner about the best path forward for Maine,” Sanders said in a statement on Tuesday. “In light of these very serious allegations, I have recommended that he step aside.”
Additional Allegations Surface
Later on Tuesday, the Washington Post reported that an ex-girlfriend, Lyndsey Fifield, alleged that Platner removed condoms without her consent during sex on at least six occasions. Fifield told the Post that she repeatedly warned Platner he needed to use condoms because she was not on birth control, but alleges he would “pull condoms off.” “He would do it in a sneaky way,” she said. “He wouldn’t tell me.”
Platner’s campaign denied the latest allegations, calling them “categorically false and politically motivated,” and pointed to Fifield’s work in Republican politics to discredit her. Fifield had previously accused Platner of multiple physical altercations, including grabbing her by the shoulders, yanking her out of a taxi by the wrist, and twisting her arm behind her back during an argument, in an interview with the New York Times. Platner has denied those accusations as well.
Collapse of Institutional Support
Institutional support for Platner collapsed rapidly. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, who chairs the party’s Senate campaign arm, called for Platner’s withdrawal and said the committee would not fund his campaign if he remained on the ballot. Maine’s state party leadership has also urged him to step down. Senator Elizabeth Warren, previously a vocal backer, asked him to withdraw, while Senators Ruben Gallego and Representative Ro Khanna, who had both campaigned with Platner, rescinded their endorsements.
Zohran Mamdani, New York City’s mayor and another high-profile progressive figure, also encouraged Platner to suspend his campaign, calling it the “only appropriate response.” “I believe that it’s time for him to drop out of the race,” Mamdani told reporters.
Background and Implications
Platner, 41, entered the race last August virtually unknown as a Marine Corps combat veteran turned Maine oyster farmer. His viral, anti-establishment campaign overtook state Governor Janet Mills, the party establishment’s preferred candidate, before she withdrew. Despite a drumbeat of scandal, he won the primary by the largest margin in state history, boosting Democrats’ hopes of flipping the U.S. Senate seat currently held by five-term Republican Susan Collins.
Under state law, for Democrats to finalize an alternative Senate nominee in Maine, Platner must end his campaign by Monday, 13 July at 5pm ET. This would grant Democrats a two-week window—until 5pm ET on Monday, 27 July—to pick a replacement to be on the ballot for November’s general election.
