Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., has withdrawn his endorsement of Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner and called on him to suspend his campaign following a sexual assault allegation detailed in a Politico report. The accuser, Jenny Racicot, 41, who previously dated Platner, alleges that he barged into her home in 2021 and forced her to have unprotected sex. Platner has denied the account.
"I’ve been very clear that sexual assault or violence against women is a red line," Khanna stated on social media Monday evening. "These allegations are very serious and credible. Graham Platner should drop out from the race. I am withdrawing my endorsement."
Khanna had previously campaigned with Platner and had, along with many other Democratic lawmakers, appeared to downplay earlier controversies surrounding the candidate. These had included accusations of abuse from a former girlfriend, Lyndsey Fifield, sexually explicit messages sent to multiple women while married, offensive online statements, and a controversial tattoo. Khanna had previously stated that he asked Platner if there were any credible allegations of sexual assault yet to be revealed, and that Platner had denied them.
"Now, obviously, he had texts that were allegedly consensual, and while he was married, And that's a matter for him and his wife. And his wife came out and said that she forgave him. And so that is a different matter for me than abuse or assault or what people did in the Epstein class. It's a very different matter," Khanna had said previously, distinguishing those issues from allegations of sexual assault.
Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., also rescinded his endorsement on Monday but did not explicitly call for Platner to exit the race. Hasan Piker, a prominent streamer who has supported Platner, also distanced himself, stating, "This is beyond red flags. This is irredeemable."