Graham Platner, the Democratic nominee for Senate in Maine, said Monday that he was “taking time to reflect on the best path forward” as he denied a Politico report that he had sexually assaulted a woman he previously dated.
“Regardless of the inaccuracy of the reporting but mindful of the political reality it will inflict, 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,” Platner said in a video posted Monday to social media.
Maine resident Jenny Racicot told Politico that Platner, with whom she had an “on and off relationship,” forced her to have sex with him after arriving at her home intoxicated in late 2021. He entered her home uninvited and allegedly assaulted her, ignoring her repeated requests to stop, she said.
“Any accusation of nonconsensual behavior is categorically false,” Platner said in the video.
Maine is considered a must-win seat for Democrats seeking to flip the Senate this year. Collins, the only Republican in the chamber to represent a state that Kamala Harris carried in 2024, is a top Democratic target.
