Graham Platner at a Portland press conference announcing Maine AFL-CIO's endorsement of him on May 1. (Brianna Soukup/Staff Photographer)

A former girlfriend says she was sexually assaulted by Graham Platner, Maine’s Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate, Politico reported on Monday. 

Jenny Racicot accused Platner of forcing her to have sex with him five years ago after driving to her house while drunk — an allegation Platner denies.

“I remember him grabbing my pelvis and being really forceful of me,” she said, according to Politico. “I remember the specific moment where I thought to myself, like, ‘This is no longer my choice.'”

Politico said Racicot, who is 41, detailed the alleged incident to a reporter over three interviews. The outlet reported it had also talked to a man Racicot dated after Platner and told about the incident years later. And reporters said they reviewed emails between Racicot and her therapist. The Press Herald could not independently verify Racicot’s allegations. 

Hours after Politico’s story was published, CNN aired an interview with Racicot in which she recounted the assault. She recalled numerous details, including that at one point, while trying to stop Platner’s advances, she pushed him into an antique sewing kit, sending it spilling onto the floor.

Racicot told Politico and CNN that she felt conflicted about whether to come forward with her story because she agrees with Platner’s progressive policy stances.

Platner denied the accusation in a statement to the Press Herald.

“These allegations are troubling, serious, and false. Any accusation of nonconsensual behavior is categorically untrue,” he said.

Shortly after the Politico story was published, Platner said in a video posted to X that he and his campaign are “taking the time to reflect on the best path forward” in his goal to see Republican Sen. Susan Collins defeated. He said he is doing so despite what he called the “inaccuracy of the reporting,” and that he was “mindful of the political reality” the reporting would inflict.

Platner had canceled three town halls in the last two days — one scheduled for Sunday in Augusta and others scheduled for Monday in Gorham and Sanford. Local Democrats said they were told that Platner was not feeling well.  

It’s unclear whether his campaign can survive this accusation. If it does, it will have to overcome severe political headwinds. Hours after the publication of the Politico story, his campaign faced an avalanche of calls for him to withdraw from the race, including from the Maine Democratic Party, the Senate Majority PAC and prominent backers such as Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and former Maine Senate President Troy Jackson.

The deadline for a candidate to withdraw and be replaced by their party is Monday, July 13.

At minimum, the latest allegations increase the scrutiny of Platner’s past — a time during which he said he was struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder and depression after returning home from four combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.  

Those controversies have been rich fodder for out-of-state Republican-aligned groups spending millions on attack ads. 

Maine’s race is expected to be one of the most closely watched in the country. And recent polling shows a tight race between Platner and Collins, a Republican seeking her sixth term in office. 

Democrats need to flip four seats to take control of the Senate. Maine is one of the Democrats’ best pickup opportunities, since Collins is the only Senate Republican running in a state won by Democrats in the 2024 presidential election. 

Platner, a political newcomer, has amassed a fervent following by holding large rallies with progressives such as Warren, Khanna and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. He’s also held more than 80 town halls across the state.

Platner easily won the Democratic primary last month, after his main rival, Gov. Janet Mills, suspended her campaign in April. Mills was the preferred choice of the D.C. establishment. 

But Platner’s personal history has become a liability in the campaign. A New York Times/Press Herald/Siena poll found that only 44% of likely voters said Platner has good character and 47% said he had the right moral values. That’s compared to Collins’ 66% and 61%, respectively. 

Opponents have seized on his past online comments, including blaming women for being raped, and an old tattoo of a Nazi symbol that has since been covered. 

Platner has also faced fresh allegations of mistreating women. 

The New York Times reported on Platner’s allegedly “unsettling behavior” in early June.  

In that report, one ex-girlfriend, Lyndsey Fifield, a conservative who has worked for Republican groups, accused Platner of grabbing her by the shoulders and closing her into a bedroom during an argument. She said they had dated from 2013 to 2015 while Platner lived in the Washington, D.C., area.

The Times reported that Fifield said Platner also made comments about raping any home-invaders simply to show dominance. 

Racicot, a Maine Democrat, was also quoted in the Times story. She said Platner showed up at her house drunk one evening after she told him not to come over. She said she dated Platner off-and-on from 2019-21. 

But Racicot’s account of her assault was not published in that Times article. She told Politico that she felt the need to go public with her story because Fifield’s account was overshadowed by discussions about her potential political motivations.

And The Wall Street Journal reported in late May that Platner’s wife, Amy Gertner, had flagged explicit text messages Platner had sent to other women early in their marriage.