Progressive commentator Cenk Uygur, chief executive of "The Young Turks", has accused mainstream media outlets of "politically assassinating" Graham Platner, a Democratic candidate for the US Senate in Maine. Uygur made the claim in a post on X on Tuesday, a day after Politico published an allegation from Jenny Racicot, a former partner of Platner, who said he raped her in 2021. The controversy matters because it has triggered a wave of Democratic defections from a candidate who had built a following as an anti-establishment progressive.

Platner denied the allegation in a campaign video, describing it as "troubling, serious and false" and insisting any accusation of non-consensual behaviour was "categorically false", while saying his campaign was reflecting on the "best path forward". The rape claim adds to earlier controversies, including a Nazi tattoo and prior physical abuse allegations. As a result, Democrats — among them Bernie Sanders — have withdrawn endorsements or called on Platner, a Maine oysterman known for opposing corporate PACs and US support for Israel, to quit the race. Uygur, a long-time backer of left-wing insurgent candidates, continued to defend him and warned the party against replacing him.