Maine Democrat Platner faces new sexual misconduct allegation amid campaign turmoil

Graham Platner’s Maine Senate campaign is confronting a fresh sexual misconduct allegation as pressure builds on the Marine veteran and oysterman to keep his Democratic bid alive. Platner’s campaign called the claim “categorically false and politically motivated,” while Platner denied the accusations and said he was taking time to reflect on the future of his campaign.

Jenny Racicot, identified in other reporting as the woman making the allegation, said Platner removed condoms without her consent during sex. She also alleged that he sexually assaulted her in 2021 after entering her home intoxicated in rural Maine and forcing her to have sex over her repeated objections. The two had an on-and-off relationship for more than two years.

The new claim landed amid a broader collapse in confidence around Platner’s campaign against Republican Sen. Susan Collins, the five-term incumbent. It was the second allegation this week involving claims of nonconsensual sexual conduct, following earlier reporting that already intensified scrutiny of Platner’s conduct and raised new questions about his viability in a race that Democrats had viewed as one of their best pickup opportunities in 2026.

Platner won Maine’s Democratic primary on June 9, 2026, after Gov. Janet Mills dropped out in April. Since then, Maine Democratic leaders and other prominent Democrats have called on him to end or suspend his campaign. Some endorsements have already been pulled, and his campaign has canceled fundraisers and paused some advertising as party figures weigh whether the nominee can recover before November.

The fallout has also pushed Democrats into contingency planning. Party strategists have begun discussing possible replacements if Platner exits the race, underscoring how quickly the nomination fight has turned into a test of institutional judgment as much as personal credibility. Collins remains the only Republican in Congress from New England, and the Maine seat is central to Democrats’ path to Senate control.