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Democrats responded quickly to Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner on Monday after allegations of rape sparked an uproar among his core supporters, with calls pouring in from across the party to suspend his campaign.
The rising rebellion comes after Maine resident Jenny Racicot, 41, accused Platner of rape in interviews with Politico and CNN, saying she hopes the Senate entered her home uninvited and drunk about five years ago and forced herself to leave him despite repeated attempts to stop him.
Racicot, who was seeing Platner on and off at the time, told Politico that she immediately broke off the relationship with him after he forced her to have unprotected sex, saying, “I remember a specific moment where I thought, like, ‘This is not an option for me anymore.’
He also told CNN that the alleged encounter was the “dictionary definition” of rape.
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Platner immediately issued a statement denying Racicot’s account and said he was “taking time to think about the best way forward” for his campaign.
Most of the Democrats signed on Monday that they are not willing to give Platner that chance, as most of the lawmakers were running to issue statements asking the Senate hoping to end his campaign quickly.
The appeals ranged from Platner’s staunch champions to the party’s establishment wing, many of whom had recently endorsed Platner after winning the Democratic primary nomination in June.
“There will be no tolerance for sexual harassment,” said Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., one of Platner’s most prominent supporters, in a statement withdrawing her endorsement. “With so much at stake, the best way forward is for Graham Platner to withdraw as the Democratic nominee and face these serious allegations outside of this Senate race.”
Meanwhile, Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., who was close to Platner, also withdrew his endorsement and asked him to drop out of the race after news of the rape allegations broke.
Sens. Martin Heinrich, DN.M., and Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., also withdrew their support Monday, and Gallego stopped short of calling on Platner to suspend his campaign.
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Progressive lawmakers continued to support Platner after Lyndsey Fifield, Platner’s ex-girlfriend, accused the Maine Democrat of harassment in June — allegations Platner has repeatedly denied as false and political.
Khanna traveled to Maine to campaign with Platner the day after the New York Times first reported on Fifield’s case.
Khanna has previously said in several interviews that he would deny Platner if allegations of sexual abuse came to light, but he told Fox News Digital that he hoped the Senate would “accountable” for his past life and said Platner deserved redemption.
Democratic US Senate candidate Graham Platner speaks at his primary campaign event in Blue Hill, Maine, on June 9, 2026. (CJ Gunther/Getty Images)
The Democrats’ reaction was equally swift, with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chairwoman Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., publicly demanding that Platner suspend his campaign to give the party time to put forward a new nominee.
Top Democrats had recently endorsed Platner following his June primary victory after their preferred candidate, Gov. Janet Mills, D-Maine, ended her campaign amid fundraising struggles.
“DSCC will not invest in the Maine Senate race if Platner continues to vote,” the pair wrote in a joint statement Monday.
The Schumer-aligned Senate Majority PAC, a top outside spending group focused on electing Senate Democrats, also said Monday it would redirect resources away from Maine as long as Platner is in the race.
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The warning comes as Democrats face a fast-approaching deadline to replace Plattner as the party’s nominee. Under Maine law, Platner can be replaced if he resigns by 5 p.m. on July 13, and the state party is allowed to replace him on July 27.
Democrats see Maine as their best chance to regain control of the Senate during the November midterm elections, but Platner’s rapidly collapsing campaign could derail those plans.
His string of scandals — from an earlier painting linked to Nazis to infidelity during his marriage — has deeply divided Democrats as the party seeks to impeach Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine.
On Monday, Collins issued a statement calling the allegations of rape “shocking” but refused to specify whether Platner should continue in the race.
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, criticized Democratic Senate nominee Graham Platner after a Maine woman accused him of rape. (Graeme Sloan/Getty Images; Heather Diehl/Getty Images)
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Other lawmakers from the conservative side of the party, including Sens. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., and Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., also publicly called on Platner to end his campaign. No one had approved of Platner before Monday’s rape allegations surfaced.
Several prominent Maine Democrats also called on Platner to withdraw his Senate bid on Monday, including Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine and her daughter, former Speaker of the State House Hannah Pingree, D-Maine, the Democratic gubernatorial nominee to succeed Mills.
Former Maine public health chief Nirav Shah and state Sen. Troy Jackson, D-Maine, both running for the open gubernatorial seat and who have been touted as potential replacements for Platner, also said Monday that he should step down. Jackson, who campaigned with Platner, was one of the Senate hopefuls to succeed Mills.
A number of left-wing organizations also withdrew their support from Platner on Monday.
“The allegations reported today are deeply disturbing and discrediting,” Tiffany Muller, president of the Democratic group End Citizen United, said in a statement. “The manner of behavior described is completely inconsistent with the standards we expect from those we support.”
VoteVets, an organization that works to elect Democratic veterans, also withdrew its endorsement of Platner, who has served in multiple positions overseas. Meanwhile, Our Revolution, a left-wing organization founded by Sanders campaign workers, called on Platner to drop out of the race while looking for a replacement who shares his far-left policy views.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, Vt., one of Platner’s most progressive supporters, had not responded to the sexual harassment allegations as of late Monday evening.
A spokesman for Sanders did not respond to a request for comment.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, Vt., and Graham Platner of the Democratic US Senate stand together at the “Fighting Oligarchy” tour stop at the Collins Center for the Arts on the campus of the University of Maine on May 24, 2026, in Orono, Maine. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
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Leftist Twitch streamer Hasan Piker also distanced himself from Platner on Monday, saying “allegations – as believable as they’re going to be.”
“This is beyond red flags. This is unworkable,” Piker added during his live stream.
