Graham Platner’s Scandal Catalog Hits New Low After Woman Accuses Him of Sexual Assault

In what seems to be a never-ending saga of more awful things being shed on the details of Graham Platner’s controversial past, the working-class oyster farmer from Maine was hit this week with his biggest and most damning scandal yet. 

On Monday, Politico reported that Jenny Racicot, a 41-year-old woman from Maine, has accused Platner of raping her in 2021, about two years after they originally met on Bumble. After allegedly sharing an on-and-off relationship, Platner had begun messaging her late one night when she told him she didn’t want to come over. It was then, she told the outlet, that he drunkenly entered her home and forced her to have sex despite her repeatedly asking to stop. 

“I remember him grabbing my pelvis and being really forceful of me,” she told Politico, during one of three interviews conducted over recent weeks. “I remember the specific moment where I thought to myself, like, ‘This is no longer my choice.’” Speaking to CNN, she said also that she verbally confronted him the next morning when he acted as if nothing had happened, and waited until she knew she wasn’t pregnant before ending things over Instagram weeks later. Platner has denied all allegations.

The veteran and former marine, who in June easily snagged the Democratic nomination to challenge the very unpopular gerontocrat Susan Collins (R-Me.) for her seat in this year’s midterms, had been long hailed as a qualified contender in one of the nation’s most competitive races. But it’s because of this, Racicot told Politico, that she’d been having “huge moral conflict” over whether she should say anything—because while she agreed with his politics, she didn’t agree with him. “I just want the truth out there,” she explained. “I just want people to have a whole scope of who he is as a person.”

Heartbreaking hearing that the woman who Platner raped was hesitant to come forward because she agreed with his politics and didn’t want to damage The Movement. If you didn’t already realize, this sort of thing happens a lot more often than you hear about!

— Liv (@Liv_Agar) July 7, 2026

 

Yet even without the latest scandal, since launching his campaign in August 2025, Platner’s run for office has been mired with a series of controversies. In October, CNN revealed a spate of removed Reddit posts including unsettling comments on “shorts that prevent you from being raped”; later that month, Platner himself preemptively leaked the rest of his opposition file, revealing he once got a “Nazi tattoo” without knowing what he was doing; and in June, the Wall Street Journal dropped new allegations of him repeatedly cheating on his wife by sexting behind her back. 

Still, the newest allegation is, for many, the worst of them all. Over the course of Monday, several Dem. Senators—including Sens. Kristen Gillibrand (New York), Chuck Schumer (New York), Elizabeth Warren (Ma.)—have urged Platner to step down. Even Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), who stood by Platner throughout previous controversies, said that for this, he would withdraw his endorsement. “I’ve been very clear that sexual assault or violence against women is a red line,” he said. “These allegations are very serious and credible. Graham Platner should drop out from the race.”

who could possibly have seen this coming except for everyone who saw it coming

— Laura Jedeed (@laurajedeed.bsky.social) July 7, 2026 at 12:46 AM

 

Alas, it feels as if the klaxons around Platner have been ringing for quite some time. In June, Racicot had been one of several women who spoke to the New York Times that shared what it was like to date him, most of whom suggested he was intimidating and disturbing. At the time, Racicot referred to the 2021 incident, saying little more than how “reckless” and “unsettling” he was acting. She told the NYT that even though she had positive memories of their relationship, she thought he didn’t respect women.

So far, Platner has denied all allegations, and on Monday his campaign profile on Twitter posted a video saying the claims were “categorically false.” Still, other reports are saying he is “taking the time” to consider his next steps, and technically speaking, Dems. can find a replacement for him so long as he drops out by July 13. So. Time to pack it up, Graham.