Maine's Democratic Party Calls On Its Own Senate Nominee To Drop Out After Rape Allegation

Maine's Democratic Party is calling on its own nominee, Graham Platner, to exit the Senate race after a woman he previously dated accused him of rape.

The woman, identified as Jenny Racicot, told CNN that Platner forced her into non-consensual sex five years ago. "He was intoxicated and not listening when I said no," she said. "You can't think that's consensual, when someone in the middle of it says don't touch me. That's not consensual."

Politico reports it spoke with a man Racicot dated and confided in during the years after the alleged incident, and reviewed documents including emails between Racicot and her therapist. Racicot told Politico she still supports Platner politically, but wants people to have the full picture of who he is. "I just want the truth out there," she said. "I just want people to have a whole scope of who he is as a person."

Platner denies the accusation. "I wanted to directly address the troubling, serious, and false allegations against me," he said. "Any accusation of non-consensual behavior is categorically false."

With top Democrats now calling for him to step aside, Platner says he's taking time to think about what comes next. "We are taking the time to reflect on the best path forward," he said.

This isn't the first controversy to follow Platner's campaign. A former girlfriend told the New York Times he once twisted her arm behind her back and shoved her into a bedroom, trapping her inside, an account Platner denied. He also had a tattoo widely recognized as a Nazi SS symbol covered up after facing backlash, saying at the time that he hadn't known what it meant.

Despite the string of controversies, Platner has kept the backing of several high-profile Democrats up to this point. It's not yet clear whether this latest call from his own party will change that.