Graham Platner, the Democratic Senate nominee in Maine, promised the public there were no more skeletons in his closet. Turns out the closet is more of a warehouse, and the skeletons have skeletons.
As USA Journal reported, Platner, who already had Nazi tattoos, domestic abuse allegations, and a graphic social media history on his political resume (quite the LinkedIn profile), is now facing a sexual assault accusation. The accuser, Jenny Racicot, a 41-year-old Maine resident, went on the record with Politico in a detailed account corroborated by contemporaneous communications, therapy emails, and a man she confided in after the alleged incident.
Here is the detail that makes this especially difficult for anyone hoping to write it off as partisan overreach: Racicot openly admits she agrees with Platner politically. "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 told Politico. She said she just wanted the truth out there so people could have "a whole scope of who he is as a person."
According to Racicot, she and Platner had an on-and-off relationship after connecting on Bumble in 2019. She alleges that one night in late 2021, after she specifically told him via text not to come over, Platner entered her unlocked home uninvited while heavily intoxicated and forced himself on her while she repeatedly told him to stop. "I remember the specific moment where I thought to myself, like, 'This is no longer my choice,'" she told the outlet. Platner denied the allegations.
Racicot said she felt compelled to come forward after a previous New York Times story focused largely on another woman, Lyndsey Fifield, whose allegations were attacked because of her Republican ties. "My part of the story was just a read-over," Racicot said. "And the story was Lyndsey, and the accusations of her being politically motivated."
Meanwhile, Platner's campaign canceled events, citing that he was not feeling well. Political observers noted the timing was, shall we say, convenient. Polls are already testing other candidates against Republican Senator Susan Collins, which tells you everything you need to know about how confident the party is in their current guy.
Now here is where it gets truly interesting from a logistics standpoint. Maine Democrats have until July 13th to replace Platner on the ballot. That is seven days. After that deadline, they are legally stuck with the Nazi-tattooed, multiply-accused Senate candidate through November, no matter what else comes out. And given that every chapter of this story has turned out to be the watered-down version of something worse, assuming the revelations are finished would require a level of optimism that borders on clinical.
So to recap: Nazi tattoos, domestic abuse allegations, a sexual assault accusation from a woman who votes the same way he does, a campaign that cancels events and denies everything simultaneously, and a one-week countdown clock. Maine Democrats are staring at a calendar the way you stare at the check engine light right before the engine actually catches fire. The clock is ticking and the options are narrowing fast.
Read more conservative news commentary at: USA Journal News
