Graham Platner says he is considering the ‘best path forward’ in the Maine Senate race after denying sexual assault allegation

BREAKING NEWSJul. 6, 2026, 8:29 PM UTC2026 Election2026 ElectionGraham Platner says he is considering the ‘best path forward’ in the Maine Senate race after denying sexual assault allegationJenny Racicot, who once dated Platner, said he showed up at her home in 2021 and forced himself on her. Platner said the allegation is “categorically false.”Listen to this article with a free profile00:0000:00Graham Platner speaks at a town hall event in York, Maine, on April 17.Sofia Aldinio for NBC NewsShareAdd NBC News to GoogleBy Natasha KoreckiMaine Democratic Senate nominee Graham Platner is denying a new allegation of sexual assault, an explosive development injecting tumult into a race that is central to the Democratic Party’s path to winning back the Senate. Subscribe to read this story ad-freeGet unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.Despite the denials, Platner said in a video that he is taking “time to reflect on the best path forward” with his candidacy. On Monday, Politico reported that a former girlfriend of Platner, Jenny Racicot, 41, of Maine, is alleging that in 2021, Platner showed up at her home unannounced and drunk. She told the publication that Platner had forced himself on her. “I remember him grabbing my pelvis and being really forceful of me,” Racicot told Politico. “I remember the specific moment where I thought to myself, like, ‘This is no longer my choice.’”Platner flatly denied the allegations and his campaign called them orchestrated and part of a broader “smear” effort against him. “These allegations are troubling, serious, and false. Any accusation of non-consensual behavior is categorically untrue,” Platner said in the statement. He also released a video denying the report, calling the Racicot’s account “categorically false.”In the video statement, Platner seemed to indicate his candidacy was in question saying that “regardless of the inaccuracy of the reporting,” he was “mindful of the political reality it will inflict, we a...