As unbelievable as it might sound, there are still Democrats defending Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner after new allegations of sexual assault came to light on Monday.
Platner has had a long series of scandals related to past social media posts, his Nazi tattoo, and conduct with women he dated. Up to this point, Democrats have enthusiastically supported his candidacy. But after these new allegations, many have finally thrown in the towel.
But former Virginia Rep. Elaine Luria, who is running to reclaim her seat, is not one of them. During an appearance on MSNBC, Luria was asked about the recent revelations about Platner.
“I'm singularly focused on this district, the message of what's important to people here in Virginia's 2nd Congressional District,” she said. “And they're always going to try to find a boogeyman and tie…the Democrat to whatever shiny new thing is going to scare people. But the truth is, is I have a proven record in Congress and I'm focused on listening to, supporting, and then representing those people across this district.”
Virginia Democrat Elaine Luria says the accusations against Graham Platner are a "shiny new thing to scare people." pic.twitter.com/SBZlZJeYAK
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) July 7, 2026
Politico published a bombshell report on Monday detailing allegations that Jenny Racicot, who previously dated Platner, made against the candidate. They met on a dating app in 2019 and were an on-and-off-again couple.
But Racicot claims that in 2021, Platner came to her home in rural Maine without an invitation. She said she had told him not to come over, but he showed up anyway — and was very drunk at the time. He allegedly forced himself on her even after she told him to stop multiple times.
— Graham Platner for Senate (@grahamformaine) July 6, 2026
After that night, Racicot cut off all contact with Platner and later told her therapist and a new partner about the encounter. She said she did not report it to the police because she was afraid of retaliation.
This comes after other women who dated Platner described his “troubling” behavior during interviews with The New York Times. Lyndsey Fifield recounted Platner getting aggressive with her during an argument. She said he bent her arm behind her back and locked her in a room.
Bernie Sanders calls for Graham Platner to step down. "In light of these very serious allegations, I have recommended that he step aside," he said.
— Virginia Grace McKinnon (@virginiagmck) July 7, 2026
Dems are ditching Platner after the most recent sexual assault allegations but stayed by his side through countless allegations of… pic.twitter.com/1n3jqLNkql
The first barrage of scandals that came to light involved Platner’s prior social media history. He wrote posts on Reddit in which he ridiculed black people and rural whites. He appeared to confess to pleasuring himself in porta potties. He also wrote a post in which he seemed to blame female rape victims for what happened to them.
It was also revealed that he sent sexually charged text messages to other women even though he is married.
After all this, Democrats still supported Platner. But now, some high-profile leaders like New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and others have called for him to drop out of the race. If he leaves the race before July 13, the Democrats can replace him on the ticket.