Platner allegations continue; candidate cancels fundraisers
· UPIJuly 7 (UPI) -- Graham Platner's Senate campaign is canceling upcoming fundraisers and pausing some ads Tuesday as the candidate continues to face calls to drop out of the race -- and another woman is speaking out about abuse allegations.
On Monday, a woman who once dated Platner, the Democratic candidate for a Maine Senate seat, said he forced her to have sex with him about five years ago. Jenny Racicot said Platner was intoxicated when he entered her home one night in 2021 and assaulted her while she told him repeatedly to stop.
Platner denied the accusations, calling them "categorically untrue," but said he is taking time to "reflect on the best path forward" for his campaign.
Since the allegations became public, an increasing amount of Democrats have called on the candidate to drop out of the race. Platner was to face Republican Sen. Susan Collins in November.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, a former supporter of Platner's, joined the chorus of those urging him to drop out Tuesday, calling the allegations "very serious." So did New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, calling it "the only appropriate response," The Guardian reported.
On Tuesday, another former girlfriend of Platner's said she was heartened that he is facing calls to suspend his campaign. Lyndsey Fifield, who previously accused Platner of violence, told CNN that the candidate repeatedly grabbed her, sometimes leaving bruises, and once blocked her inside a bedroom. She also said Platner removed condoms without consent.
Fifield also said that she was disturbed that her own allegations, first reported by the New York Times last month, didn't get a similar reaction.
Platner's campaign also said Fifield's accusations were "categorically untrue" and said they came "from a person with a well-documented political agenda."
As Platner makes a decision about his campaign, Democratic leaders are already disagreeing about who could replace him. Those from the party's progressive branch are calling for another progressive Democrat to take Platner's place.
"To the Democratic establishment: This is not your opening," said Joseph Geevarghese, executive director of Our Revolution, a group created after Sanders' 2016 presidential campaign.
The party has until Monday to replace Platner with another candidate on the ballot if he withdraws.