It seems even the New York Times wants Democratic Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner to ride off into the sunset after new rape allegations surfaced against him.
Jenny Racicot, a woman who previously dated Platner, alleged on Monday that Platner showed up at her home drunk one night and forced himself on her. The new accusation prompted several high-profile Democrats, who had been supporting him up to this point, to reverse course and call for him to drop out of the race.
The New York Times published a piece suggesting that switching candidates would boost Democrats’ chances of winning the Senate race. The author points out that without a victory in Maine, it will be much harder for Democrats to win back control of the upper chamber. The deadline for Platner to drop out is July 13. Otherwise, it will be too late to replace him on the ticket.
Graham Platner sounds like he’s thinking about dropping out of Maine’s U.S. Senate race following a Politico report of a woman who says he raped her 5 years ago:
— Frank Luntz (@FrankLuntz) July 6, 2026
“We are taking time to reflect on the best path forward for the state that I love.” https://t.co/5mmrqaSdFe
Platner’s campaign has been plagued by scandals from the moment it started. Past social media posts in which he mocked black people and white rural voters surfaced. He also made denigrating comments about female rape victims.
The New York Times has also faced criticism over how it handled the allegations against Platner. Lyndsey Fifield, one of the first women to accuse the candidate of abuse, blasted the news outlet for downplaying and failing to corroborate her statements.
She said she gave the Times the contact information for several people who could confirm that she told them about Platner’s abuse, but that they only reached out to those without knowledge of her story.
🚨 BREAKING POLITICAL SCANDAL — MAINE SENATE RACE IN CHAOS 🚨
— RandomStuff A2Z (@RandomstuffA2Z) July 8, 2026
Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner is facing a rapidly growing wave of serious allegations that are now threatening to derail his entire campaign.
Here is what we know:
🔴 Woman #1 — Jenny Racicot told… pic.twitter.com/tyTph2uS1g
The author points out that replacing him will put Democrats in a better position due to Republican incumbent Sen. Susan Collins’ approval ratings. A New York Times/Portland Press Herald/Siena poll showed that her rating stands at 50 percent unfavorable and 48 percent favorable.
Platner has denied Racicot’s allegations as he has with other women who accused him of sexual misconduct and other troubling behavior. He said the allegations were “troubling, serious, and false” and suggested they were politically motivated. However, he also said he was “taking the time to reflect on the best path forward,” which raised speculation about whether he might drop out of the race.