Free Republic

Democratic Maine Senate nominee Graham Platner announced on X that he is suspending his Senate campaign and denies the sexual assault allegations against him. In a lengthy video message, Platner argued that "large forces" and the political establishment used the accusations to force him out. GRAHAM PLATNER: Hey everyone, it's Graham Platner here. I think as many of you know, over the past couple days, I have faced some very serious allegations. And I just want to make it clear, this is all false. The things that have been claimed did not happen. It's not real. It has placed...

Graham Platner is about to drop out. It’s not a question of if, but when he has lost all significant support. The news broke in a bombshell story claiming he allegedly raped a woman, Jenny Racicot, in 2021. Politico had the report; once it was published, everyone distanced themselves. The disturbing part is that we saw this coming because The New York Times’ piece was a whitewash. When Lyndsey Fifield shared her allegations of domestic abuse, no one paid attention because she worked for Republicans, but Racicot, a committed liberal, is what caused the situation with Platner to unravel. Only...

WASHINGTON — Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s silver-spoon socialist adviser, Morris Katz, rushed over to beleaguered Graham Platner’s house Wednesday as they plotted how to remain a powerbroker in the Senate race — enraging Democrats. The gathering included Platner’s top campaign brass in addition to Katz, who is trying to hatch a plan for Platner to “remain a voice” in the Senate contest “no matter what” the accused rapist decides, a source familiar with deliberations told The Post.Platner has so far refused to step down as Maine’s Democratic Senate nominee after he was accused of rape by an ex-girlfriend — with the...

Graham Platner, the embattled Democratic Senate nominee in Maine, suspended his campaign on Wednesday amid mounting controversies and growing calls from top Democrats in his home state, in the nation's capital, and across the country for him to immediately quit the race.

Good morning. For many Democrats, Graham Platner represented something much bigger than a fresh face to take on the seemingly unbeatable Republican Sen. Susan Collins. He was blue collar, progressive, and—seemingly—a true Mainer. For many, he seemed too good to be true. Maybe he was. On Monday, Politico dropped a bombshell report about a past girlfriend alleging sexual misconduct by Platner. Platner denied the report, but—for the first time—suggested he might be exiting the race against Collins. “Regardless of the inaccuracy of the reporting but mindful of the political reality it will inflict, we are taking the time to reflect...

Why are DSA members allowed to run as Democrats? “A Republic If You Can Keep It!” These words of Benjamin Franklin, in response to the question, “what kind of government was the United States to have, a republic or a democracy?” are exceedingly prescient today, for we are surrounded, infected, and infested by enemies within and without. The four enemies I will focus on today (there are many more than four) are progressivism, the democratic socialists of America, radical Islam, and America’s four horsemen of the apocalypse (hedonism, nihilism, materialism, and narcissism). First, progressivism. Just in time for our 250th...

Yesterday, Graham Platner denied allegations made by Jenny Racicot of rape, but then announced that he would take some time to mull over his options. At the time, Platner had already cancelled his upcoming events before the July 13 deadline to withdraw his nomination as the Democrat candidate for US Senate from Maine. His withdrawal from the race appeared imminent, so much so that Polymarket actually shut down the betting pool on it.Well, it has been 24 hours since then, and ... all is quiet on the Totenkopf Front. Platner has lost almost every endorser in the race, and the...

The Maine Democratic Senate ticket is in total chaos after Troy Jackson, the leading replacement for scandal-ridden candidate Graham Platner, was hit with assault allegations. Jackson, a DSA-affiliated Maine politician, was accused of physical assault earlier today by the political organization Progressive Victory. The group works with left-wing politicians and influencers to organize grassroots support for leftist causes. “Troy Jackson in a heated disagreement struck a female colleague with a bottle he threw at her. There are many witnesses and it appears this is a widespread open secret within Maine politics and not an isolated incident,” said Progressive Victory in...

Embattled U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner was hit with a second explosive allegation of sexual impropriety only about 24 hours after he was accused of rape — all while a major campaign decision deadline looms. In a new report published by The Washington Post, the candidate from Maine was accused of removing condoms during sex with his ex-girlfriend Lyndsey Fifield after she explicitly directed him to wear them. "He would pull condoms off," she told The Washington Post. "He would do it in a sneaky way. He wouldn’t tell me." Fifield, 41, previously accused Platner of physical misconduct during their...

Maine Democratic candidate Graham Platner appears to be holding the Democratic Party hostage — refusing to drop out after he was accused of rape unless he gets to approve his successor to run for the Senate, The Post has learned. A source familiar with the campaign discussions said Platner, his campaign and political strategist Morris Katz are deliberating about the Maine Democrat dropping out but only if his replacement shares his left-wing values. And the clock is ticking for Dems — there’s a deadline of Monday for the 41-year-old oyster farmer to withdraw and be replaced on the ballot, according...

All the broadcast network evening newscasts covered the serious rape allegation lodged against Maine’s Democrat Senate nominee Graham Platner, underscoring that Platner is considering discontinuing his campaign, the Maine Democratic Party wants him to step down, and several Democrats in Congress rescinded their endorsements. All this (and the coverage) signals that Democrats collectively think this will make Platner lose and he needs to step aside. It could be compared to the networks covering the internal Democrat debate after the Biden debate fiasco in 2024. None of the stories featured any Republican reaction or even voter reaction. None of the stories...

🚨A well-placed source told us that Graham Platner is dropping out of the Maine Senate race this week. Note that Platner has yet to release his Q2 fundraising totals, a sign he may have underperformed expectations. 12:41 PM · Jul 6, 2026 · 645.2K Views

Speculation is swirling on social media about the future of Democratic Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner after several of his events were canceled over the weekend shortly before an explosive report on Monday afternoon contained an allegation of rape from a woman he previously dated. Maine resident Jenny Racicot, 41, told Politico over the course of three interviews that Platner forced her to have sex five years ago against her will, a claim that Platner denied in the story. Additionally, the report says that a man Raciot dated afterward confirmed she had told him about the incident, which was also...

A woman who dated Maine U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner says he forced her to have sex with him nearly five years ago despite her repeated objections, an allegation Platner denies. The woman, a 41-year-old Maine resident named Jenny Racicot, detailed the alleged incident to POLITICO in three interviews over the past two weeks. POLITICO also spoke with a man Racicot dated and confided in the years after the alleged incident, and reviewed documents, including emails between Racicot and her therapist and messages between Racicot and an acquaintance whom she warned against getting involved with Platner years before he ran...

Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner has postponed a string of events Sunday and Monday as rumors circulate among Maine Democrats and over social media about another potentially damaging story to come about the oyster farmer’s past.Platner postponed a planned town hall in Augusta on Sunday after reportedly missing a Fourth of July parade in Machias. The Gorham Democrats on Monday morning said a town hall set for Monday was postponed because Platner was “not feeling well.” And a Sanford town hall previously listed on Mobilize was later taken down.The Platner campaign did not immediately respond to a request for...

Andy O’Brien, the communications director for the Maine AFL-CIO, a statewide federation of 160 local unions, posted on social media, suggesting Democrats who refuse to support Democrat U.S. Senate nominee Graham Platner should face execution after a “revolution.” O’Brien shared a link to a the Hill opinion piece titled, “I’m a Democratic Strategist. I Won’t Stay Silent About Graham Platner,” by Democrat strategist Laurie A. Watkins. Watkins wrote that a career spent fighting for Democratic causes does not mean blindly supporting every candidate with a “D” by their name. O’Brien’s response was brutal, saying political consultants like Watkins would be...

The list: Connecticut Illinois Maine Massachusetts North Carolina Oregon Rhode Island Vermont Washington Pennsylvania

House Democratic leadership's preferred candidate in Maine's 2nd district, state Sen. Joe Baldacci, lost his primary to progressive rival Matt Dunlap, state election officials announced early Friday morning. Why it matters: This is the second time this month that a candidate backed by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has fallen short in their primary.

Maine Primary Results Finally Certified After Shambolic Ranked-Choice Process Maine Wire Staff June 19, 2026 Maine election officials on Friday released final results from several key primary contests more than a week after voters went to the polls, bringing an end to a prolonged counting process that drew increasing criticism of the state’s ranked-choice voting system and the administration of Secretary of State Shenna Bellows. Among the most significant results, former federal prosecutor Bobby Charles secured the Republican nomination for governor, while Hannah Pingree, a former speaker of the Maine House of Representatives, won the Democratic gubernatorial primary. In Maine’s...

For Democratic strategist Julie Roginsky, a person with a Nazi tattoo on their chest should be disqualified as a candidate for political office. But that tattoo, along with a series of other controversies that have dogged Senate candidate Graham Platner, has not been enough to dissuade most Democratic voters in Maine from supporting him. On Tuesday, Platner, a 41-year-old oyster farmer and military veteran, won a decisive victory in the Maine Democratic primary for U.S. Senate. He will now face longtime Republican Sen. Susan Collins in this November's midterm elections. For many Democrats, the removal of Collins is the central...