Platner says he will 'reflect' on Senate campaign after sexual assault accusation

Key Points:

• Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner faces a sexual assault allegation from a former partner, Jenny Racicot, who claims he forced her to have sex while intoxicated in 2021 despite her telling him to stop; Platner denies the accusation but is reconsidering his campaign's future.
• The allegation has led to significant backlash, with major Democratic figures including Senate Democrats Kirsten Gillibrand and Chuck Schumer calling on Platner to withdraw, and several endorsements being rescinded, including from Rep. Ro Khanna and Sen. Ruben Gallego.
• Maine's Democratic Party leaders and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee have expressed serious concerns, emphasizing the need to refocus the campaign and potentially replace Platner before the July 13 deadline for ballot withdrawal.
• Platner, a controversial first-time candidate with a history of contentious statements and behavior, won the Democratic primary decisively but has faced growing criticism from within his party, including from Governor Janet Mills who declined to endorse him.
• The race against incumbent Republican Senator Susan Collins, a long-standing figure in Maine politics, has been thrown into turmoil as Democrats seek a viable candidate to challenge her in the general election amid these allegations.