Socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) on Tuesday finally pulled his support for embattled Maine Democratic Senate nominee Graham Platner after a woman accused the leftist oyster farmer of rape.
“I have spoken with Graham Platner about the best path forward for Maine. In light of these very serious allegations, I have recommended that he step aside,” the Vermont senator said.
It’s a stunning turnaround for the socialist who championed Platner on the campaign trail and, until now, stood firmly by the embattled oyster farmer despite numerous scandals.
“I’m going to do everything I can to make sure that Graham Platner is the next senator from the state of Maine,” Sanders previously said.
The dramatic change in tone follows a bombshell Politico story centering around a 41-year-old Maine resident Jenny Racicot who detailed an on-and-off relationship with Platner for more than two years. In late 2021, she claimed a “deeply intoxicated” Platner broke into her home and forced himself on her despite repeatedly telling the oyster farmer to stop.
“I remember him grabbing my pelvis and being really forceful of me,” she said to Politico. “I remember the specific moment where I thought to myself, like, ‘This is no longer my choice.’”
Racicot said she felt compelled to come forward after other women raised allegations against Platner.
“One of the reasons I didn’t come forward sooner was, the huge moral conflict that I had between supporting his politics, but not supporting him as a person,” she said to Politico. “I just want the truth out there. I just want people to have a whole scope of who he is as a person.”
The woman told the outlet she connected with Platner on the dating app Bumble in 2019 and had consensual sex with him before the night he allegedly assaulted her.
“I had been telling him these words, like: ‘No, don’t,’” she recalled to Politico. “And, the look on his face and realizing what was happening, I just realized that, like, I am in a situation where there’s no consent here.”
As of Tuesday afternoon, Platner had given no formal indication that he intends to drop out of the race, though he suggested he is reviewing the best path forward. Maine Democrats face a July 13 deadline to replace Platner on the ballot with another Democrat to challenge incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins.
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