A Democratic Senate candidate has been accused of rape and his party is demanding that he drop out of the race

The Democratic Party is facing a new political crisis in the midst of the campaign for the November legislative elections, after the Senate candidate from Maine, Graham Platner, was accused of rape by a woman who claimed to have been sexually assaulted by him nearly five years ago.

The allegation triggered a stampede of leaders, lawmakers, and progressive organizations who withdrew their support for the candidate within hours, in an attempt to contain the political impact of a scandal that threatens to ruin the Democrats' chances of regaining control of the Senate.

The accusation was publicly made by Jenny Racicot, 41, who recounted in interviews with Politico and CNN that Platner entered her home without permission while intoxicated and forced her to have sex without her consent. According to her testimony, they had an intermittent relationship at that time, but she stated that during the encounter she completely lost the ability to decide about what was happening.

Racicot claimed that she tried to stop Platner several times and that, despite this, the then-activist continued until he completed the sexual act without protection. She recalled a specific moment when she realized that ''it was no longer her decision,'' a description she later referred to CNN as the ''dictionary definition'' of rape.

Platner quickly responded with a statement in which he categorically denied the accusations. The candidate maintained that Racicot's account is false and stated that he was ''reflecting on the best way forward'' for his campaign. However, that response was far from containing the reaction within his own party.

Within hours, numerous Democratic leaders began to publicly demand that he immediately suspend his candidacy. The speed with which support vanished reflected both the seriousness of the allegation and the fear that the case would end up harming the party's electoral aspirations in one of the states considered key to trying to defeat Republican Senator Susan Collins.

Among those who withdrew their support was Senator Elizabeth Warren, one of the most influential progressive figures in the country and one of Platner's main supporters after his victory in the Democratic primaries in June. Warren stated that ''there can be no tolerance for sexual assault'' and argued that the best decision was for Platner to leave the candidacy to face the accusations outside of the electoral process.

Congressman Ro Khanna, who had even traveled to Maine to campaign alongside the candidate weeks earlier, also revoked his support and called for him to resign from the nomination. The same was done by Senators Martin Heinrich and Ruben Gallego, while other moderate figures, such as Mark Kelly and Elissa Slotkin, also demanded that he end his campaign.

The reaction is particularly striking because many of those leaders had stood by Platner just weeks before, when a former girlfriend of the candidate, Lyndsey Fifield, publicly accused him of having abused her during their relationship. Platner rejected those allegations, labeling them as false and politically motivated, arguments that were then accepted by a good part of his allies.

Even after those initial accusations, several progressive leaders continued to promote his candidacy. Khanna went so far as to state that Platner was "taking responsibility" for past mistakes and deserved a chance for redemption, a stance that now contrasts with the speed with which he decided to withdraw support after the rape allegation became known.

From the national Democratic leadership, the response was even more forceful. The Senate minority leader, Chuck Schumer, along with the chair of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, Kirsten Gillibrand, demanded that Platner suspend his candidacy ''immediately'' to allow the party to designate another candidate before the legal deadline set by the state of Maine.

Additionally, they warned that the Senatorial Campaign Committee will not invest financial resources in the election if Platner remains on the ballot. This decision was joined by the powerful ''Senate Majority PAC,'' one of the main external groups that fund Democratic campaigns for the Senate, which announced that it would redirect its funds while the candidate remains in the race.

Maine law states that Platner can be replaced as a candidate if he withdraws before July 13, while the Democratic Party would have until July 27 to select a substitute. This time window has increased the political pressure on the candidate.

The case has also brought back into focus the process by which the Democrats chose to support Platner despite a series of controversies known for months. In addition to the abuse allegations made by an ex-partner, the candidate had faced scrutiny over an old tattoo related to Nazi symbolism and personal scandals related to infidelities during his marriage.

For many critics, the Democratic leadership ignored repeated warning signs while Platner seemed to represent an electoral opportunity to regain a key seat. Only when a rape allegation threatened to turn the campaign into a national issue did the mass calls for him to abandon the race begin. This sequence fueled questions about whether some leaders prioritized electoral interests over the evaluation of the candidate's character and conduct for months.

Various progressive organizations also severed ties with Platner. ''End Citizens United'' described the accusations as ''deeply disturbing and disqualifying,'' while ''VoteVets'' withdrew its support for the military veteran. ''Our Revolution,'' an organization founded by former collaborators of Bernie Sanders, also called for him to resign, although it demanded that the eventual replacement maintain the same leftist agenda that Platner promoted.

By the end of the day, one of the few national leaders who had not spoken out was none other than Bernie Sanders himself, whose team also did not respond to press requests for comments.