A woman who previously dated Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner said he drunkenly forced her to have sex after she told him to stop, according to a Politico report released Monday, leading prominent supporters to pull their endorsements and throwing a must-win race for the party into turmoil.
Platner denied the allegation, but said he would be considering next steps for his campaign.
“Regardless of the inaccuracy of the reporting but mindful of the political reality it will inflict, we’re taking the time to reflect on the best path forward,” he said in a video released on social media.
Jenny Racicot, who lives in Maine, told Politico that Platner entered her home in 2021 while drunk and assaulted her. Racicot said she had been in an on-and-off relationship with Platner, but she cut off contact with him after that night and told him the incident wasn’t consensual. A voicemail left at a number listed for Racicot seeking comment did not receive an immediate response.
Platner’s campaign did not immediately respond to an email and phone message from The Associated Press seeking comment.
“Any accusation of non-consensual behavior is categorically false,” Platner said in his video.
Still, the allegation sparked a flight away from a candidate who has long been controversial. Rep. Ro Khanna, a California Democrat who’d stood by Platner even as the insurgent candidate was hit with prior allegations, said Monday’s was enough. “I’ve been very clear that sexual assault or violence against women is a red line,” Khanna said. “These allegations are very serious and credible. Graham Platner should drop out from the race. I am withdrawing my endorsement.”
The re-writing of history here is insane. It was the hardcore lefties who pushed this guy, not the libs.
Tankies malding and trying to change the narrative is so typical.
I can excuse war crimes against brown people, but I draw the line at white people rape allegations.
This has been one of the biggest political races in the country for like 6 months
Why does this shit not come out when he announced running instead of the literal second he won the primary?
Fuck him and fuck victim blaming but holy fuck why? Why would you wait and go after the guy who SA you until the second he wins a primary election?
That’s what did it? Not the Nazi shit?
Just reading the comments on this you can see a lot of Lemmy users have a massive mysogyny problem.
They wanted their special white boy working class savior so goddamn bad they’re willing to look theother way on:
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Nepotism (he sells oysters to his mommy)
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Nazism
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Blackwater war tourism
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Rape
Just no principles or character at all.
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To the people that excused, and went to bat for, a genocide apologist… What’s a little rape? Honestly, I’m surprised so many are dropping him for this, maybe there’s hope yet.
I’m sure there’s something to be said about the perceived victims of the genocide, and the rape, but I don’t have time to think about it.
This has a Gary Hart vibe. Senior Democrats dont want Platner around. Platner told Stewart months ago how no one from the DNC talked to him despite leading in polls.
So now he gets railroaded on 5 year old allegations that will go nowhere.
What a shame
Called this. Haha down voters.
Murdering innocents overseas is totally fine but God forbid he rape a white woman!!
Americans are something else, man.
Lmao, mods went haywire on this one. Removed multiple of my replies critizing rapists for civility. Seems like the liberals are spooked that their Nazi rapist murderer candidate is getting some criticism.
Sad but predictable, in that any charasmatic candidate that rises this far with an ideological outlook that would benefit the masses over the billionaires was always going to be in the firing line.
It also shows, at least, that democrats and liberal commentators won’t blindly offer their guy impunity and have some sence of morality, even though he was basically a winning ticket and the best chance for change in decades. Had it been the republicans they would have simply powered on and weathered the heat, brashly denying anything thrown at them. They successfully ended truth and accountability under Trump, and it would seem the Dems still cling to those apparently antiquated notions.
“The major problem—one of the major problems, for there are several—one of the many major problems with governing people is that of whom you get to do it; or rather of who manages to get people to let them do it to them. To summarize: it is a well-known fact that those people who must want to rule people are, ipso facto, those least suited to do it. To summarize the summary: anyone who is capable of getting themselves made President should on no account be allowed to do the job.”
― Douglas Adams, The Restaurant at the End of the Universe
Just hold a lottery for the senate / house seat. No politics, no filtering.
Yet another purity test failed, why can’t we tolerate sex pest Nazis?! Is nothing good enough for you leftists?
First you don’t want genocide and war crimes, now you don’t support rapists! We all know she is a filthy liar! No people in positions of power would do such a thing. Except for all the ones in office who do. But those guys don’t count! They’re Republicans!
If being a rapist gets you cancelled by the left, then the left would rather lose than let a rapist in office!
Clearly she’s lying about all of it. Never believe a single woman when they confess they were raped by someone I like. That’s what MSNBC told me when Biden was being questioned for his actions and defended Clarance Thomas to enter the Supreme Court, known sex pest.
This is just filthy slander, just vote Blue no matter who he rapes!
Damn liberal democrats are such pussies and this comment section confirms. Republicans can do whatever the hell they want including fascism rape and murder but the democrats at tea time are in a tiff. Good luck winning back the senate.
