Yet another Democrat has called on Graham Platner to drop out of the Maine Senate race, following another bombshell allegation of rape that dropped yesterday afternoon. Jenny Racicot, a Maine woman, told Politico that Platner once showed up at her house uninvited and forced her to have sex with him. The fallout was swift and immediate, with several Democrats who had previously backed Platner calling on him to step aside.
This time, the Democrat in question is New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
NEW: @ZohranKMamdani - who has emerged as a leader in the left flank of the Democratic Party - says @grahamformaine should drop out of the Senate race. Platner is/was repped by several of Mamdani’s top aides.
— Sally Goldenberg (@SallyGold) July 7, 2026
And here's video of Mamdani's comments.
"I wanted to ask, given that you have a sort of ascendant role in the Democratic Party, could you talk about the Maine Senate race?" the journalist asks. "Do you think that Graham Platner should drop out of the race and do you have any intention of endorsing any candidates in competitive races outside of New York? El-Sayed or anyone else?"
"I believe that it's time for him to drop out of the race," Mamdani replied. "And when it comes to my own endorsements, I've made eight endorsements at the state and federal level, they've all been right here in New York City. I'm incredibly excited at the fact that they won their races and that's where my focus is for now."
Someone then asked Mamdani a question off-camera that was inaudible.
"You know, I think the focus of today should be to respond to the gravity of what so many of us have read, and I think that the only appropriate response is for the campaign to come to an end," Mamdani said.
The other notable thing about this is that the media certainly think Mamdani is now the face, if not a de facto leader, of the Democratic Party now. They believe his endorsements carry significant weight, as his candidates have won elections in New York, and that Mamdani's influence could play out nationally.
That's a risk for the Democratic Party, because when Mamdani destroys New York City, the Democrats will have to answer for that. But as their support of Platner showed, they're willing to make that risk if they think it'll bring them power.