Dems abandon scandal-plagued Platner after Heinrich stood by him

New Mexico’s Democrat senators are facing new scrutiny over their handling of Maine Democrat Senate nominee Graham Platner after a rape allegation sent national Democrats fleeing from a candidate many in the party had recently tried to rally behind.

Platner, the Democrat nominee for U.S. Senate in Maine, is accused by a woman he previously dated of drunkenly forcing her to have sex after she told him to stop, according to reporting cited by the Associated Press. Platner denies the allegation.

The latest report triggered a political crisis for Democrats in a must-win Senate race against Republican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins. Senate Democrat leaders, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, prominent progressives, and Maine Democrat officials quickly began calling for Platner to leave the race.

But the collapse comes after some Democrats, including U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich of New Mexico, who “proudly” endorsed the scandal-plagued candidate, had already defended Platner through earlier scandals involving a Nazi-linked tattoo, inflammatory online posts, sexually explicit messages, and allegations involving past relationships.

During a CNN appearance with Wolf Blitzer before the latest rape allegation surfaced, Heinrich defended Platner as a man who had grown from his past.

“Graham has made a lot of mistakes in his life,” Heinrich said. “He’s owned those mistakes… that’s what leadership looks like.”

That quote now looks very different after the newest allegation sent Democrats scrambling to distance themselves from Platner.

According to the AP, the woman, Jenny Racicot, accused Platner of entering her home in 2021 while drunk and assaulting her. Racicot said she had been in an on-and-off relationship with Platner but cut off contact after that night and later told him the encounter was not consensual.

“He violated multiple layers of consent that night,” Racicot said in a CNN interview, according to the AP.

Platner denied the allegation in a video statement.

“Any accusation of non-consensual behavior is categorically false,” Platner said.

He also said he was considering the future of his campaign.

“Regardless of the inaccuracy of the reporting but mindful of the political reality it will inflict, we’re taking the time to reflect on the best path forward,” Platner said.

For Democrats, the political reality was immediate.

U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chair Kirsten Gillibrand issued a joint statement calling on Platner to withdraw.

“Graham Platner needs to immediately withdraw as the Democratic nominee for Senate and allow Maine Democrats the opportunity to choose a new candidate who can defeat Susan Collins,” they said.

The DSCC also said it would not spend money on the Maine Senate race if Platner remained the nominee.

Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin said Maine Democrats should choose a new nominee. Rep. Ro Khanna, who had previously supported Platner, withdrew his endorsement.

“I’ve been very clear that sexual assault or violence against women is a red line,” Khanna said. “These allegations are very serious and credible. Graham Platner should drop out from the race. I am withdrawing my endorsement.”

U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Ruben Gallego of Arizona also pulled their support and called for Platner to exit the race. Maine Democratic Party leaders joined the calls for him to withdraw.

The pressure is especially intense because Maine law allows Platner to be replaced on the ballot only if he withdraws by July 13, with a replacement nominee named by July 27.

The latest allegation is not the first controversy surrounding Platner.

Before winning the Democrat nomination, Platner had already faced scrutiny for a chest tattoo recognized as a Nazi symbol, which he later covered up. He also reportedly faced criticism over explicit messages sent to women shortly after getting married and a history of inflammatory online comments.

In one 2013 Reddit post, Platner wrote that people should not get so drunk “they wind up having sex with someone they don’t mean to” and suggested sexual assault victims should “just take some responsibility for themselves.” He has since apologized for the post and said he no longer believes those things.

The New York Times also reported on volatile relationships with former girlfriends, including one allegation that an argument became physical. Platner denied that allegation.

New Mexico’s other Democrat senator, Ben Ray Luján, also addressed Platner before the latest wave of calls for withdrawal. Luján said Platner needed to be “forthright” and “honest” with voters.

“Look, he’s the nominee right now,” Luján said. “He has to go and earn the trust of voters. And just like every other candidate has to do as well.”

That careful language stopped short of fully cutting Platner loose at the time. But after the latest allegation, the Democrat Party’s calculus changed almost overnight.

Now, Lujan wrote via X, “The American people deserve leaders they can trust. These allegations are serious, demand accountability, and make that trust impossible. Graham Platner should withdraw from the Senate race.”

For New Mexicans, the episode raises an obvious question: why were national Democrats, including Heinrich, so willing to treat Platner’s long list of earlier controversies as forgivable “mistakes” until the political pressure became impossible to ignore?

Heinrich’s “that’s what leadership looks like” defense is now being viewed in a harsher light as Democrats rush to push Platner off the ballot. Luján’s insistence that Platner needed to earn trust also reflects the awkward position Senate Democrats found themselves in: trying to hold a crucial seat while managing a nominee with extensive baggage.

Platner remains the Democrat nominee unless he withdraws. Collins, the Republican incumbent, responded briefly to the allegation.

“These allegations are appalling,” Collins said. “Nevertheless, it is not up to me to choose the Democratic nominee for Senate.”

For Democrats, that choice may now define one of the most important Senate races in the country.

And for New Mexico’s senators, the question is no longer just whether Platner can survive.

It is why Democrats ever tried to explain away so many warning signs in the first place.