Maine Democratic Senate nominee Graham Platner says he is “taking the time to reflect on the best path forward” on Monday after a woman told CNN and Politico he raped her while he was heavily intoxicated nearly five years ago when they were in a casual dating relationship – an allegation Platner denies.
His comments come one week ahead of the July 13 deadline for general election candidates to withdraw from the ballot. If he did so, the state Democratic Party would then have two weeks to put forward a replacement candidate.
In a two-minute, direct-to-camera video posted on social media, Platner called the allegations “troubling, serious and false.”
“Any accusation of nonconsensual behavior is categorically false,” he said.
But he also acknowledged that the allegations could make it more difficult for him to defeat Republican Sen. Susan Collins. Flipping the Maine seat is critical to Democrats’ chances of winning the net four-seat gain they need in November to take majority control of the Senate.
