Maine Democratic Senate Candidate Graham Platner Suspends Campaign After Rape Allegation

Graham Platton, the Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate in Maine, announced the suspension of his campaign after a rape allegation made by Jenny Racicot, who said the incident occurred in 2021. Platton denied the accusation, calling it false and politically motivated.

Morris Katz, a senior adviser to Platton’s campaign, posted on X that the team advised the candidate to suspend his candidacy "as soon as" they became aware of the allegation and subsequently began winding down campaign operations. The adviser’s statement was later highlighted in a community note on X, noting that the campaign had initially denied the allegation when questioned by CNN on July 6.

Platton responded to the initial report with a brief video on X, saying the campaign was "taking time to reflect on the best path forward" and reiterating that he "vigorously denies" the serious allegations. In an 11-minute recorded video posted later, he again called the claims false and suggested they were timed to affect the upcoming primary deadline on July 13.

Maine Democrats face a July 13 deadline to formally withdraw Platton, which would allow the party to select a replacement nominee by July 27 to run against incumbent Republican Senator Susan Collins. Fox News reached out to Platton’s team and to adviser Katz for comment but did not receive a response.