Platner Volunteers Want to Move Forward with a New Candidate [View all]

Since announcing his run almost a year ago, Graham Platner’s source of strength was his ability to organize people passionately committed to building a populist movement centered on the needs of working people. The energy behind this politics of change is genuinely real and organic. Thousands of people have volunteered their time to Platner’s cause across every county in Maine.

But after allegations of rape against Platner broke yesterday, many of those volunteer workers no longer believe he is the right standard bearer for the movement they’ve been working so hard to build. The victim, Jenny Racicot, told Politico that Platner broke into her home in 2021 while drunk and began forcing himself on her. Racicot said she tried to separate herself from Platner but that he followed her to her bedroom and raped her.

Drop Site spoke with numerous Platner volunteers to determine where Maine’s rapidly growing populist base might be headed. Overwhelmingly, supporters are ready to move on from Platner while remaining emboldened to continue their work building the grassroots movement that he jump-started.

Volunteers on Platner’s statewide organizing Discord server, with nearly 1,400 members, called for him to withdraw from the race Monday after the allegations were reported. The volunteer Discord server is dedicated to the door knockers, canvassers, digital organisers, and tablers who’ve been propelling his campaign.

https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/maine-graham-platner-sexual-assault-senate-troy-jackson