AUGUSTA, Maine — Maine Democrats may soon discover that their decision to rally around Graham Platner was not simply a political gamble, but a potentially devastating failure of judgment.
The left leaning new outlet, POLITICO, Monday afternoon published a story stating that a woman who dated Maine U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner says he forced her to have sex with him nearly five years ago despite her repeated objections, an allegation Platner denies.
The woman, a 41-year-old Maine resident named Jenny Racicot, detailed the alleged incident to POLITICO. The Maine Wire was aware of this story for more than a week, prior to it being published on Monday.
Exclusive: Woman who dated Graham Platner says he sexually assaulted her – POLITICO
But the fact that Democratic officials are reportedly bracing for the possibility of still more allegations raises an unavoidable question: How much did party leaders know before they placed their reputations, resources and hopes for control of the U.S. Senate behind Platner?
The Democratic Party spent much of the past decade presenting itself as the political home of women who said they had been ignored, mistreated or abused by powerful men.
Democratic politicians embraced the language of the #MeToo era. They demanded that women be heard. They urged the public to take allegations seriously. During some of the country’s most contentious political battles, “believe women” became a rallying cry on the left.
The Democratic Party did not technically create the MeToo movement. Survivor and activist Tarana Burke founded it in 2006 to support survivors of sexual violence, years before the phrase became a national social-media phenomenon. But Democratic politicians and progressive organizations enthusiastically adopted the movement’s message and made it part of their political identity.
Now, those principles are being tested in Maine.
Platner won the Democratic nomination to challenge Republican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins despite a succession of controversies involving his past statements, his conduct toward women and his judgment.
One former girlfriend alleged that Platner grabbed her hard enough to leave marks, pulled her from a taxi by her wrist, twisted her arm behind her back and prevented her from leaving a room during an argument. Other former romantic partners reportedly described volatile or intimidating behavior.
Platner has denied physically abusing women and characterized the most serious allegations as politically motivated. He has acknowledged that he was a poor partner during a period when he struggled with alcohol and untreated post-traumatic stress disorder. The allegations have not resulted in criminal charges or a court finding against him.
Separate reporting revealed that Platner exchanged sexually explicit messages with multiple women shortly after marrying his wife. Platner acknowledged sending the messages, and his wife publicly described the conduct as shameful while remaining beside him.
Platner has also faced criticism over deleted Reddit posts in which he suggested that sexual-assault victims should take some responsibility for avoiding compromising situations. The remarks were condemned by EMILY’s List, a powerful Democratic organization dedicated to electing women who support abortion rights.
Yet none of that stopped the Democratic Party from moving forward.
Platner secured the nomination June 9 and is now the party’s candidate in one of the most consequential Senate races in the country. Democrats need to defeat Collins as part of their effort to gain control of the closely divided Senate.
That political objective appears to have transformed standards that Democrats once described as moral absolutes into flexible campaign considerations.
Sens. Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren and Ruben Gallego continued supporting Platner. Rep. Ro Khanna traveled to Maine to campaign beside him. Other prominent Democrats expressed discomfort, but no major Democratic leader demanded that Platner leave the race before the primary. Maine Democrat Gubernatorial nominee Hannah Pingree braged about her support of Platner.
Khanna offered perhaps the most revealing defense.
He described Platner’s admitted conduct as misogynistic, shameful and wrong. He said women who came forward should be treated respectfully and argued that Platner’s campaign should not attack their credibility.
But Khanna continued supporting him.
Khanna’s position appeared to be that Platner deserved redemption unless sufficient evidence emerged to conclusively establish domestic violence. That is a considerably more cautious standard than the one many Democrats promoted when allegations were made against Republicans or conservative judicial nominees.
Sanders has similarly framed Platner’s history as a story of personal accountability and growth.
Warren, who has spoken extensively about sexual harassment and the importance of listening to women, has not publicly reconciled those principles with her continued endorsement of Platner.
Gallego has supported funding for domestic-violence services but has offered little public explanation for why the allegations involving Platner did not alter his support.
“Graham Platner is the kind of fighter Maine hasn’t seen in a long time. Someone who tells you exactly what he thinks, doesn’t owe anything to the special interests, and wakes up every day thinking about working families.”
— Sen. Ruben Gallego (via X / public statement)
The silence is striking.
Maine Democrat Gubernatorial nominee Hannah Pingree has bragged about her support of Platner.
These politicians are not required to accept every allegation as proven. Due process and evidence still matter, regardless of political party. An accusation is not a conviction, and claims should be investigated rather than automatically declared true.
But that was not always the message Democratic leaders delivered to the country.
For years, Americans were told that skepticism toward an accuser could itself be a form of cruelty. They were told that protecting powerful men damaged victims and discouraged other women from coming forward. They were told that character mattered and that political ambition could never justify looking away.
Now the accused man is not a Republican Supreme Court nominee or a conservative television personality. He is a Democrat who could deliver a Senate seat.
Suddenly, Democratic leaders have discovered nuance.
Suddenly, they want to discuss redemption, evidentiary standards and the dangers of politically motivated accusations.
Those principles are reasonable. They should have been applied consistently all along.
The problem for Democrats is not merely that Platner faces serious allegations that he denies. It is that the party appears prepared to abandon its own rhetoric when enforcing it could cost Democrats political power.
That is why the possibility of another damaging report matters.
Democratic senators reportedly questioned Platner privately about whether more allegations could emerge. Platner reportedly told them that the worst rumors circulating about him were untrue.
If a significant new story is published, Democrats will not be able to claim they had no warning.
Platner’s vulnerabilities were hardly hidden. His campaign had already confronted controversial online posts, a tattoo resembling a symbol used by Nazi forces, sexually explicit communications during his marriage and allegations involving former partners.
Democratic voters nevertheless nominated him, and national Democrats have since been left to calculate whether abandoning him would cost them a winnable Senate seat.
That calculation may explain their conduct. It does not excuse it.
There is also a broader political risk.
Collins has survived repeated attempts to defeat her partly because she has persuaded enough independents and moderate Democrats that she offers stability, experience and Maine-centered judgment. Platner’s supporters believe his populist economic message and attacks on political elites can overcome concerns about his personal history.
They may be right.
But Democrats have handed Collins a powerful argument: The party that lectures the country about character is willing to overlook almost anything when Senate control is at stake.
Still, Democratic inconsistency does not disappear simply because Republicans have inconsistencies of their own.
The standard should not change depending on the candidate’s party.
If Democrats believe women deserve to be heard, the women discussing Platner’s conduct deserve to be heard.
If Democrats believe allegations of mistreatment require serious scrutiny, Platner’s record requires serious scrutiny.
If Democrats believe personal character is relevant to public office, they cannot suddenly declare his character irrelevant because he polls well against Susan Collins.
Perhaps Platner will survive the controversy. Perhaps voters will accept his explanation that he was once a deeply troubled man who has changed. Perhaps no additional report will materialize Monday.
But Democrats have already exposed themselves to a charge they will find difficult to answer.
They spent years demanding that the public believe women.
When women raised allegations against Graham Platner, Democratic leaders appeared to believe something else mattered more: winning.
