Democrats Follow Their Leader, Refusing Moral Clarity on Platner

Hours after Graham Platner, Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in Maine, was accused of sexual assault, his party abandoned him. While Democrats claim to be taking the moral high ground, their timeline says otherwise.

Monday afternoon, Politico reported another Platner scandal the political world had sensed was coming after he canceled his campaign events for the day. In an exclusive interview, his 41-year-old ex-girlfriend of five years, Jenny Racicot, detailed the night she says he raped her in 2021.

Platner denied the allegations, calling them “troubling, serious, and false,” and the detailed behavior “categorically untrue.”

Democrats have supported Platner extensively through countless allegations of violent and inappropriate behavior. Women described him as volatile and physically intimidating, as reported last month by The New York Times. A list of allegations against him includes domestic abuse, kidnapping, adultery, and lying about his Nazi tattoo. He received funding and support through them all.

The Politico story dropped at roughly 3 p.m. Monday afternoon. By 7 p.m., Democratic leadership withdrew their funding and support, setting the stage for Senate candidates in battleground states to fall in line.

At 7:01 p.m., Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chair Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., released a joint statement: “The allegations reported today are incredibly disturbing—violence, abuse, and sexual assault are absolutely unacceptable.”

Refusing to invest in his race anymore, they called for Platner to immediately withdraw and allow Maine the opportunity to choose a new candidate.

Rep. Angie Craig of Minnesota was the first Democrat Senate candidate to fall in line. At 7:07 p.m., she posted on X, “These allegations are deeply disturbing and troubling,” and called for him to end his campaign.

Minutes later, the Senate Democrats Super PAC announced they will be “redirecting resources away from the Maine Senate race in light of the latest allegations against Graham Platner.” Lauren French, a spokesperson for the fundraising arm, posted their statement to X at 7:24 p.m.: “We continue to believe this seat is winnable if Platner is not on the ballot, but we cannot strategically continue to invest here when there is an expansive battleground map where these resources can help win a Democratic majority.”

Quickly following their Senate leadership and fundraising group, battleground candidates fell in line, protecting their race.

At 8:12 p.m., Peggy Flanagan, another Democrat Senate candidate in Minnesota, posted, “I believe Jenny. Graham Platner should not be Democrats’ nominee for U.S. Senate.”

Four minutes later, Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., said, “Mr. Platner should withdraw his candidacy for the Senate.”

Less than an hour later, Roy Cooper, Democrat Senate candidate in North Carolina, wrote, “This goes beyond politics. These are disturbing allegations, and I believe Graham Platner should drop out of this race.”

Sherrod Brown in Ohio agreed the allegations were “deeply disturbing,” and “he should drop out.” Haley Stevens in Michigan agreed, “I believe women. Graham Platner should drop out.”

The final string of statements came in at 10:35 p.m. “The allegations against Graham Platner are truly disturbing,” said Iowa’s Josh Turek. “This isn’t about party—this is about right and wrong and who should represent their state in the U.S. Senate. He should drop out immediately.”

Texas Democrat James Talarico called the allegations against Platner “credible,” and said, “he should withdraw from the race immediately.”

Finally, at 12:22 a.m. Eastern time, Mary Peltola of Alaska called the allegations disturbing and disqualifying. “He needs to drop out,” she wrote.

Without funding or support from his party, he is staying in the race for now. The State has until Friday for him to drop out so they can replace him on the November ticket.

The DSCC could not be reached immediately for comment.