Graham Platner’s allies turn on him after bombshell sexual assault report

He got away with having a Nazi tattoo and a past of making antigay, misogynistic posts, but a rising political star may be flaming out after serious new allegations came to light. The Christopher Street Project, a national political organization dedicated to electing transgender rights advocates, rescinded its endorsement of Maine Democratic U.S. Senate nominee Graham Platner on Monday and called on him to leave the race after POLITICO reported that a woman who dated him accused him of forcing her to have sex with him five years ago.

The decision was a striking reversal. Less than two weeks ago, the group endorsed Platner in an exclusive interview with The Advocate, presenting him as the kind of Democrat who would defend transgender people at a moment when federal policy has made their lives a bargaining chip in budget fights, agency directives, and electoral strategy.

POLITICO reported Monday that Jenny Racicot, a 41-year-old Maine resident who had dated Platner, said he entered her home uninvited in 2021 and forced himself on her after she repeatedly told him to stop.

“I remember him grabbing my pelvis and being really forceful of me,” Racicot told POLITICO. “I remember the specific moment where I thought to myself, like, ‘This is no longer my choice.’”

Related: Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner admits using ‘indefensible’ antigay slurs in unearthed Reddit posts

On Monday, Tyler Hack, the organization’s executive director, said the group’s commitment to survivors left no room for ambiguity.

“Christopher Street Project is an organization that believes survivors, and that commitment cannot be conditional,” Hack said in a statement to The Advocate. “Given the seriousness of the allegations and our commitment to believing survivors, we believe the most responsible path forward would be for Graham Platner to step aside. We are calling on him to do so and are rescinding our endorsement in this race.”

The withdrawal came as several prominent Democrats also began abandoning Platner. U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna of California, who had endorsed Platner, also called on him to leave the race.

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“I’ve been very clear that sexual assault or violence against women is a red line,” Khanna wrote. “These allegations are very serious and credible. Graham Platner should drop out from the race. I am withdrawing my endorsement.”

U.S. Sen. Ruben Gallego of Arizona also rescinded his endorsement. “The allegations against Graham Platner are troubling and deeply serious,” Gallego wrote. “I am rescinding my endorsement.”

U.S. Rep. Ritchie Torres, a New York Democrat, wrote Monday, “I have no endorsement to rescind. Graham Platner should drop out.”

Platner denied the allegation in a roughly two-minute video posted to social media Monday, calling it serious but false. Still, he said he was “taking the time to reflect on the best path forward” for his campaign.

The Advocate contacted Platner’s spokesperson for comment Monday but did not immediately hear back.

Platner called the allegation “troubling” and “serious,” but said in his video that “any accusation of non-consensual behavior is categorically false.”

The withdrawal lands with unusual force because of the speed and symbolism of the reversal. On June 24, Hack told The Advocate that the Christopher Street Project was “super excited” to endorse Platner after he marched in the Portland Pride Parade. At the time, Hack said Platner represented the kind of candidate needed not only to build a Democratic majority but also to prevent transgender people’s rights from being negotiated away.

Platner, too, described himself then as a candidate unwilling to trade away marginalized people for political convenience.

“You cannot treat politics as a game in which you can occasionally sell people out or occasionally just kind of push people under the bus for short-term gains,” Platner told The Advocate at the time. “A politics that’s willing to sell anybody out is eventually going to sell everybody out.”

That argument now sits in contrast with a movement built around protecting vulnerable people.

“This decision reflects our belief that movements built on justice, safety, and accountability must hold themselves to those same standards, especially when doing so is difficult,” Hack said Monday.

The organization also sought to separate its call for Platner to step aside from the broader stakes of the Maine race. Republican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins remains one of the GOP’s most visible incumbents in a state Democrats see as essential to any path back to Senate control.

“We must defeat Susan Collins, a far-right Republican who refuses to support the 988 LGBTQ+ Youth Access Act and won’t stand with trans service members,” Hack said. “Defeating Collins cannot require us to compromise the values that brought us into this work in the first place. We must take back power and build a movement rooted in trust in and care for one another.”

The allegation is the most serious threat yet to Platner’s campaign. Platner, a Marine and Army veteran and oyster farmer, won Maine’s Democratic primary June 9 and is running against Collins in one of the country’s most closely watched Senate races. The seat could help determine control of the chamber.

Under Maine law, Democrats can replace Platner on the ballot only if he withdraws by July 13. The state Democratic Party would then have until July 27 to choose a replacement nominee.

Platner has already faced months of scrutiny over his past, including previously reported antigay Reddit posts, allegations about his behavior toward women, and a tattoo with Nazi ties. Until Monday, he had repeatedly indicated that he intended to stay in the race.

In his video, Platner framed his next steps around the broader goal of defeating Collins.

“Regardless of the inaccuracy of the reporting, but mindful of the political reality it will inflict, we are taking the time to reflect on the best path forward,” Platner said. “Every one of you deserves to see that vision come to fruition and see Susan Collins defeated.”