Graham Platner hit by scandal maine Democratic Party His U.S. Senate campaign has become a national test of whether the insurgent progressive can withstand repeated revelations about his past, and he announced Wednesday night that he was suspending his campaign and withdrawing from the race.
Two days after POLITICO, Platner posted a more than 10-minute video to X at 8:10 p.m. ET. reported A woman he was dating accused him of forcing her to have sex with him five years ago. Platner again denied the rape allegation, calling it “all false” and saying, “What is being alleged did not happen. It is not true.”
Platner appeared emotional at times as he spoke directly to the camera, repeatedly denying the allegations and saying his campaign could no longer function without the fundraising, voter data and institutional support needed to compete.
“We believe that no one but me can continue this movement,” Plattner said. “Therefore, we are suspending campaign activities.”
Related: Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner admits to using ‘indefensible’ anti-gay slur in unearthed Reddit post
a fight over what happens next
Related: Graham Platner welcomes attacks from ‘fascists and bigots’ over support for transgender rights
The announcement marked a stunning collapse for a candidate who two weeks ago said: defender His First Victory, Support for Transgender Rights, and the Nation Supporting Transgender Rights PAC It was supposed to help him harden his mind. LGBTQ+ Support for November.
In a June 24 interview, Platner characterized his campaign as a movement-building project and said he welcomed attacks over his support for transgender rights.
“You can be cowardly about it and play their game, or you can be a coward and understand that transgender rights are human rights,” Plattner said. defender. “Human rights cover absolutely everyone.”
Mr. Platner now says he intends to file papers for revocation, while urging Democrats not to remove him through what he describes as a closed-door process controlled by Washington.
The battle over what happened next had already begun before Platner posted the video. Late Tuesday, Maine Democratic Party Executive Director Devon Murphy Anderson said: video The party posted on social media that it was working to develop an alternative process that was “open, inclusive, transparent and fair,” but accused Platner’s team of trying to influence it.
“Unfortunately, Mr. Graham Platner’s team has reached out to us repeatedly to try to understand exactly what this process is,” Murphy-Anderson said. “We have repeatedly reiterated to Graham Platner’s team that they have no role in determining the next Democratic Senate nominee or what this process will look like.”
related: Graham Platner’s allies condemn him after shocking sexual assault report
under main lawtiming is critical. Mr. Plattner must formally withdraw by 5pm on Monday, July 13, in a way that would allow Democrats to replace him on the general election ballot. If he nominate, the party will have until 5pm on July 27 to nominate a replacement. Maine’s general election will be held on November 3, and ranked-choice voting will be used in federal elections.
“My name may be on the ballot right now, but that voting line belongs to the people of Maine,” Plattner said.
A once-promised challenge to Susan Collins
The stakes are unusually high. Before the latest allegations put his candidacy into high gear, Mr. Platner had emerged as one of the Democratic Party’s most likely new candidates. republican party Sen. Susan Collins is a five-term incumbent with a long history of survival in a state that often votes Democratic at the federal level.
University of New Hampshire Research Center public opinion poll A poll released in late May found Mr. Platner leading Mr. Collins among voters in the general election, 51% to 42%. University of Lowell/YouGov public opinion poll An article published in June showed the race to be narrow but favorable to Platner, with him leading by a margin of 48% to 43%.
Mr. Platner’s primary victory was not close either. bangor daily news reported He received 77.7% of the vote in the June 9 Democratic primary, while Gov. Janet Mills, who suspended her campaign but remained on the ballot, received 16.7%. maine public reported Platner received more than 150,000 votes, the most votes of any Democratic U.S. Senate candidate in Maine’s primary since the state began electing senators by popular vote in 1918.
Now, Democrats must decide whether they can conserve that energy without the candidate who built it.
Platner denies wrongdoing
“This is incredibly difficult because while some may think this is an admission of guilt, it most definitely is not,” Plattner said in the video. “We’re not doing it because of suspicion. We’re doing it because of the structures that have been taken away from us by those in power.”
He learned of the allegations through a press interview and said, “A company made the accusation.” media “Systems and political regimes that act as judge, jury, and executioner.” He also suggested the timing was designed to remove him from the vote before he became a formal candidate.
“I only have until July 13th to officially become a candidate,” he said. “This week was the last week they tried to take me off the ballot.”
months of scandal
The uproar began Monday after POLITICO reported Jenny Racicot’s accusation that Platner sexually assaulted her in 2021. washington post later published The company conducted its own interview with Racicot and reported on other allegations from another ex-girlfriend, Lindsey Fifield. She accused Platner of removing her condom without her consent during sex when they dated several years ago. Mr. Platner denies the allegations of sexual misconduct.
The allegations were the latest in a series of months-long controversies. Platner had already apologized for online comments that were described as misogynistic and racially insensitive. He said he was not aware at the time of the tattoo, which had since been hidden, and resembled Nazi imagery. Regarding Reddit posts as well. defender reportedly included homophobic slursanti-LGBTQ+ jokes, and sexually explicit stories that denigrate gay men. wall street journal Platner reported sending sexually explicit texts to multiple women during their marriage. new york times Several women who had dated him reported anxious or erratic behavior. Mr. Plattner repeatedly described his past as part of a difficult period in his life and claimed that his opponents were weaponizing it to thwart his campaign.
Support for LGBTQ+ women evaporates
The Christopher Street Project, a national political organization dedicated to electing transgender rights advocates, withdrew its endorsement of Mr. Platner in the wake of the sexual assault allegations and called for him to withdraw from the race less than two weeks after endorsing him in an exclusive interview. Defender.
“The Christopher Street Project believes in survivors and cannot place conditions on our efforts,” said Tyler Huck, the group’s executive director. stated in a statement to defender on monday. “Given the seriousness of the allegations and our commitment to believing in survivors, we believe the most responsible path forward is for Graham Platner to resign. We are asking him to do so and we are rescinding our support in this race.”
Haq said the decision reflects the standards the organization believes the movement should apply to itself.
The group also sought to separate demands for Mr. Platner to step back from the broader bet to topple Collins.
“We must defeat far-right Republican Susan Collins, who refuses to support the 988 LGBTQ+ Youth Access Act and shows no support for transgender service members,” Haq said. “To defeat Collins, we don’t have to compromise the values that brought us to this movement in the first place. We must take back power and build a movement rooted in trust and compassion for each other.”
This reversal was soon followed by defections of prominent Democrats. California Representative Ro Khanna withdrew his support, saying sexual assault and violence against women is a “red line that should not be crossed.” Arizona Sen. Ruben Gallego also withdrew his support, calling the allegations “alarming and extremely serious.” U.S. Congressman Ritchie Torres new york “I do not support revocation,” Plattner wrote, but said Plattner should be expelled from the school.
Planned Parenthood Action Fund, which had also supported Mr. Platner, also withdrew its support.
In an interview on June 24th, defenderMr Platner said he was “honored” to have the support of the Christopher Street Project and said he would not engage in politics that sacrificed marginalized people for short-term gains.
“You can’t treat politics as a game where you sometimes sell people short, sometimes you throw people under the bus for short-term gain, because politics that is willing to sell everyone short ends up selling everyone short,” he said.
A new chaotic phase
In a video Wednesday, Plattner said his supporters are running a campaign centered on health care, ending U.S. aid to foreign wars, cutting corruption and keeping money out of politics. He said those who voted for him in June were entitled to an open process to decide what happens next.
“The people of D.C. need to stay in D.C.,” he said. “People in positions of political power should not be making decisions behind closed doors.”
The race has entered a chaotic new phase for Democrats, who saw Maine as one of their biggest opportunities in the fight for control of the Senate. Plattner warned that national party leaders and donor networks have already committed to withholding money from his campaign if he remains a candidate.
“They would rather see Susan Collins win than have me be the next senator from Maine,” he said.
Source: Advocate.com – www.advocate.com
