It wasn’t The BradCast we planned for our first show back after the July 4th holiday. But, given the potential consequences — for the nation — of the news that broke just an hour before airtime, we decided, on the way to the studio, on the fly, to toss out everything planned and go with the breaking news and listener calls instead. [Audio to full show follows this summary.]
This afternoon, in an exclusive report, Politico broke the news that a former girlfriend of Maine‘s Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner has accused him of having sexually assaulted her in her home in late 2021. She charges he was drunk at the time and forced himself on her.
The accuser, Jenny Racicot, was one of several former girlfriends of the oyster farmer and combat veteran described in a New York Times story a week or so before the state’s June 9th primary. Racicot didn’t include this allegation at the time, describing Platner’s behavior as a boyfriend only as “reckless” and “unsettling” at times. She now tells Politico — which interviewed her three times, spoke with others that she claims to have warned about Platner, and reviewed documentation that reportedly supports her claim — that she didn’t want to be known as a rape victim previously. The coverage of that Times story, however, helped change her mind, even though she claims to share Platner’s politics.
For his part, the progressive Platner, a first time political candidate who has not been shy about discussing his dark past on the campaign trial, which he chalks up to PTSD, described the new allegation as “troubling, serious and false” in a video posted to social media. “Any accusations of non-consensual behavior is categorically untrue,” he said, before adding: “Regardless of the inaccuracy of the reporting, but mindful of the political reality it will inflict, we are taking the time to reflect on the best path forward for the state that I love, the people that I love, the movement I belong to and the goal of defeating Susan Collins.”
Platner easily won his June primary by more than 70%, despite earlier allegations — though none as serious as this — and a challenge by the state’s sitting two-term Democratic Governor, Janet Mills.
Maine state law allows a candidate to be replaced by the state party if they drop out before 5pm on July 13th. Following airtime tonight, the Maine Democratic Party has called on Platner to withdraw, as has Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), one of his highest profile supporters.
With the contest against five-term Republican U.S. Senator Susan Collins central to Democrats’ uphill roadmap to take back the Senate majority this November, both Platner and his party will indeed need the time to figure out next steps.
Will they have a better chance of unseating Collins with Platner in or out of the race? It sounds like a tough call. Surprisingly, apparently it wasn’t for our Callers today. All of them — Democratic and Republican alike — had the same answer to that question.
They want Platner to stay in the race. At least as the story was just breaking today, even as I was still learning details while reporting them on the fly this afternoon…
