Maine Senate Nominee Platner Denies 2021 Rape Allegation as Accuser Goes Public 5 Years Later
Updated
Updated · CNN · Jul 6
Maine Senate Nominee Platner Denies 2021 Rape Allegation as Accuser Goes Public 5 Years Later
3 articles · Updated · CNN · Jul 6
Summary
Jenny Racicot, 41, told CNN that Graham Platner entered her Maine home drunk in late 2021 after she told him not to come and forced sex despite repeated demands to stop.
CNN said two people recalled Racicot describing the assault before Platner’s Senate run, and reviewed messages, a therapist email and other records confirming their past relationship.
Platner’s campaign called the allegation false and politically coordinated, while Platner said in a video he would reflect on the best path forward for his campaign.
The accusation lands weeks after the New York Times reported accounts from six women describing Platner’s excessive drinking and other troubling behavior, which he partly attributed to untreated PTSD and alcohol.
Platner is a key Democratic challenger to Republican Senator Susan Collins, and Maine Democrats can replace a withdrawn nominee until the July 13 ballot deadline.