Democrats swiftly turned on Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner on Monday after a rape allegation triggered a full-on revolt among his most prominent supporters, with calls pouring in from across the party for him to suspend his campaign.
The mounting defections came after Maine resident Jenny Racicot, 41, accused Platner of rape in interviews with Politico and CNN, alleging the Senate hopeful entered her home uninvited while intoxicated nearly five years ago and forced himself on her despite repeated attempts to get him to stop.
Racicot, who was seeing Platner on and off at the time, told Politico she immediately cut ties with him after he forced her to engage in unprotected sex, saying, “I remember the specific moment where I thought to myself, like, This is no longer my choice.”
She also told CNN that the alleged encounter was the “dictionary definition” of rape.
PLATNER’S LATEST ACCUSER CLAIMS THE DEMOCRATIC SENATE CANDIDATE ‘ABSOLUTELY’ RAPED HER
Platner immediately issued a statement denying Racicots account and said he was “taking the time to reflect on the best path forward” for his imploding campaign.
The vast majority of Democrats signaled Monday they were unwilling to give Platner that opportunity, with many lawmakers racing to issue statements calling on the Senate hopeful to immediately end his campaign.
The pleas stretched from Platner’s most fervent progressive champions to the partys establishment wing, most of whom had only recently rallied behind Platner after he won the Democratic primary nomination in June.
“There can be no tolerance for sexual assault,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., one of Platners most prominent supporters, said in a statement rescinding her endorsement. “With so much at stake, the best path forward is for Graham Platner to step aside as the Democratic nominee and address these serious allegations outside this Senate race.”
Meanwhile, Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., who had closely aligned himself with Platner, also withdrew his endorsement and called on him to exit the race after news of the rape allegation circulated.
Sens. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., and Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., also pulled their support Monday, with Gallego stopping short of calling on Platner to suspend his campaign.
The progressive lawmakers continued to support Platner after Lyndsey Fifield, a former Platner girlfriend, accused the Maine Democrat of abuse in June â an allegation Platner has repeatedly denied as false and politically motivated.
Khanna notably traveled to Maine to campaign with Platner the following day after The New York Times first reported Fifields accusation.
Khanna previously said in multiple interviews that he would disavow Platner if a sexual assault allegation emerged, but that the Senate hopeful was “taking accountability” for his past and argued Platner was deserving of redemption.
The reaction among establishment Democrats was equally swift, with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chair Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., publicly demanding that Platner “immediately” suspend his campaign to give the part
