The latest allegation by Jenny Racicot is grave and difficult to dismiss.
Another woman has stepped forward to accuse Graham Platner, the Democratic Party’s candidate for the Maine Senate, of serious wrongdoing. Jenny Racicot, a 41-year-old Maine resident who previously dated Platner, asserts that he sexually assaulted her in 2021.
Platner has denied the accusation; nonetheless, he is pausing his campaign. He has already lost the backing of two of his most ardent supporters, Rep. Ro Khanna (D–Calif.) and left-wing commentator Hasan Piker. It seems probable that he will withdraw by July 13, giving Maine Democrats an opportunity to nominate a new challenger to the incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins.
Racicot had previously spoken with The New York Times and was mentioned in the June article about Platner’s history of toxic relationships. According to The Times, Racicot “declined to elaborate” on the exact nature of his misconduct, so the piece instead highlighted a different accuser, Lyndsey Fifield, who was also a former girlfriend of Platner. Fifield claimed that he once grabbed her forcefully and then trapped her in a bedroom in a violent manner, but she did not accuse him of sexual assault.
The fact that Fifield is a Republican activist led some to doubt the credibility of her allegations. Racicot told Politico that she did not want to be publicly identified as a rape victim, but chose to share the full story once it became clear to her that Fifield’s accusation would not be enough to force Platner out of the race. For what it’s worth, Racicot describes herself as a progressive Democrat.
Conservatives are now criticizing The Times for failing to report on Racicot’s sexual assault accusation—an issue Fifield alluded to while expressing her own frustration with how The Times handled the story. Of course, if Racicot had told The Times that her accusation was off the record, there would have been little the publication could do. Meanwhile, liberals inclined to doubt Fifield—who was subjected to harsh criticism by some—might consider whether they owe her some form of apology.
Progressive writer Matt Stoller, for instance, continues to suggest that the earlier anti-Platner reports “read as wholly ginned up media creations,” in contrast to this latest allegation. That seems like a difficult line to navigate.
Platner is not without defenders. Left-wing commentator Cenk Uygur wrote on X that the mainstream media was out to get Platner and that he would dismiss any negative coverage of his character out of hand.
Setting aside partisan responses, any fair-minded reader will have trouble dismissing Racicot’s account. She supplied Politico with remarks she gave to others, including her therapist, about the assault. Moreover, this was not a dispute that could be dismissed as a misread cue in the moment, or as a withdrawal of consent during a previously consensual encounter. According to Racicot, Platner entered her home in a state of blackout intoxication, despite her protests. She texted him to deny him entry, but he entered anyway and forced himself on her, she claims. Afterward, she cut off all contact with him.
Again, Platner denies that this occurred, but he is pausing his campaign while weighing his options. Given that the Democratic Party could still replace him, it is unlikely he will remain in the race much longer.
