A woman who was once romantically involved with Graham Platner, the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in Maine, has publicly accused him of raping her in 2021. Jenny Racicot, 41, said the assault happened one night in late 2021 at her home, nearly five years into an on-and-off relationship that began on a dating app in 2019. Platner has firmly denied the allegation, calling it false.
Racicot first shared her account with Politico before speaking at length with CNN’s Jake Tapper in an interview set to air on The Lead. She said she and Platner had maintained a casual dating arrangement for roughly two years before the alleged incident. Her decision to go public has upended a closely watched Senate race just days before a key ballot deadline.
What Racicot Says Happened That Night
Racicot said she texted Platner not to come to her house that evening, but he showed up uninvited about half an hour later and let himself inside since the door was unlocked. She described him as heavily intoxicated, so much so that she believed he could not process her objections. He climbed onto her while she was on her couch, and she said she pushed his hand away and told him not to touch her chest.
During a brief struggle, an antique sewing kit toppled over, leaving a needle lodged in her leg. Racicot said she ultimately stopped resisting once she judged that continuing to fight back was riskier than complying. She told CNN that Platner also declined to use protection despite her objections, and that when she confronted him the next morning, he claimed he did not remember the night before.
Asked directly whether she now considers what happened a rape, Racicot answered without hesitation. She said the answer was yes “by definition.” She has said Platner violated her consent in several distinct ways that night, from entering her home against her wishes to ignoring her physical resistance.
Racicot Addresses Questions About Her Motives
Racicot has firmly pushed back against suggestions that political rivals pressured her to come forward. She identifies as a registered Democrat who supports much of Platner’s platform, and she says that alignment is actually part of why she stayed quiet for so long. She told interviewers that watching his campaign videos still resonates with her politically.
Still, she said she felt a moral responsibility to share her story regardless of the personal cost. She explained that too many men have relied on women staying silent, and she did not want to be part of that pattern. Her goal, she said, was simply to give voters a fuller picture of the candidate before they cast their ballots.
Racicot noted she briefly referenced the 2021 episode to the New York Times last month without naming Platner or describing it as an assault, calling his behavior only “reckless” at the time. She said she held back details then to protect her own privacy. Separately, CNN reviewed messages from 2023 in which Racicot warned another woman who had posted about dating Platner, describing him as inconsistent about consent when drinking.
Campaign Pushes Back, Alleges Coordinated Attack
Platner’s campaign has categorically denied the accusation. In a statement, aides called the claims “very serious” while insisting Platner “vigorously denies them.” The campaign also suggested the timing of the story, arriving just before a ballot deadline, was not coincidental.
Campaign officials pointed to the involvement of political operatives in helping surface the allegation, framing it as an orchestrated effort tied to establishment opposition.
The statement argued that Platner had already weathered a year of unfounded attacks branding him as a Nazi or a war criminal. It maintained that this latest claim fit the same pattern of baseless smears meant to derail his candidacy.
Campaign manager Ben Chin issued a separate message to supporters acknowledging the political weight of the moment even while rejecting the substance of the allegation.
He wrote that the campaign recognized the uncertainty the story had created heading into a pivotal stretch of the race. Chin added that every decision moving forward would be guided by the same values that built the campaign in the first place.
Fallout Spreads Through Democratic Ranks
The allegation lands atop months of turbulence surrounding Platner’s bid, including an earlier report last month in which three other women described unsettling encounters with him, though none alleged assault at that time. Racicot was among the women quoted in that story before she later disclosed the more serious claim. The cumulative effect has been a rapid erosion of institutional support for his campaign.
Multiple prominent Democrats and former backers have called on him to step aside following Racicot’s account. State party leaders and the Senate campaign arm have also distanced themselves from his candidacy. The developments raise the possibility that Democrats may need to scramble for a replacement nominee with the race entering its final stages.
Racicot has said she understands why some voters, even those who believe her, might still choose to support Platner given the current political climate. She acknowledged having friends who fall into that category. Even so, she maintained that voters deserve to hear the full story before they decide, regardless of how they ultimately vote.
