Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner faces mounting pressure to abandon his campaign after being accused of drunkenly raping a woman in 2021. The allegation matters because prominent progressive Democrats who had previously endorsed him — most notably Senator Elizabeth Warren — are now distancing themselves, raising questions about their judgement in backing a candidate through a long series of earlier scandals. The Maine race is seen as pivotal to control of the Senate ahead of the midterm elections.

Warren, who called Platner "my kind of man" at an April rally, issued a statement on Monday night urging him to step aside as the Democratic nominee and address the allegations outside the race, saying there could be "no tolerance for sexual assault". The accuser is named as 41-year-old Maine resident Jenny Racicot. Platner, who denies the claims, had not withdrawn as of Tuesday morning despite earlier controversies including a Nazi-linked chest tattoo, alleged infidelity, lewd deleted Reddit posts, mocking a Purple Heart veteran, and accusations of violence against an ex-girlfriend. Senator Bernie Sanders had so far remained silent on the matter.