Platner: ‘Ending my run, rape claims are a conspiracy against me’

“The trash took itself out tonight,” Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman said of Platner’s withdrawal from the race.

By World Israel News Staff

Maine Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner officially ended his campaign Wednesday evening, just days after a former girlfriend publicly accused him of raping her in 2021.

The allegation — which top Democratic leaders described as credible enough to warrant his withdrawal — prompted a swift collapse in support from within his own party.

Senior Democrats, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), called on Platner to immediately end his campaign, while party officials signaled they would withhold financial support for the Maine Democratic primary if he remained in the race.

In a video posted to his X account announcing his withdrawal, Platner denied any wrongdoing, insisting the allegations were false and part of a conspiracy to derail his campaign.

“This was the last week to try to get me off of the ballot. And that’s why this is occurring,” Platner said, despite the fact that his accuser and former girlfriend, Jenny Racicot, is a registered Democrat whose political and ideological views closely align with his own.

Platner urged supporters not to interpret his decision as an admission of guilt, characterizing Racicot’s allegations as “all false” and “not real.”

Instead, he argued that he was leaving the race because the Democratic establishment was using the accusations “as an excuse to take away all of the things that we need to run a campaign” — something he suggested party leadership had wanted to do long before the allegations surfaced.

He further alleged that the “political establishment,” corporate media, and unnamed “large forces” were working together to prevent him from taking office, though he offered no evidence to support those claims or elaborate on what he meant.

Platner, who campaigned on a platform sharply critical of Israel, had already faced scrutiny during the race over reports concerning his Nazi tattoo and previous allegations of sexual misconduct made by other women.

“The trash took itself out tonight,” Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman told Fox News following Platner’s announcement.

“Now finally people in Maine have a chance to vote on someone that’s not a total piece of trash,” he added.