Published On 7/7/2026
American Democrats face the risk of declining their chances of seizing control of the Senate, after sexual assault accusations were leveled against their candidate for Maine, Graham Blattner, in the latest episode in a long series of controversies surrounding him.
In an exclusive interview with Politico, published on Monday, Jenny Racicot – who was previously dating Blattner – alleged that he forced her to have sex without her consent in late 2021. She said that he entered her home in Maine without invitation while drunk, and assaulted her even though she repeatedly asked him to stop.
Blattner denied the latest accusations in a video he posted on social media, but said he was reconsidering continuing his political campaign.
The new allegations sparked a wave of withdrawals among Blatner’s supporters, as a number of senior Democrats and Democratic-leaning political groups withdrew their support for him. This included Democratic Representative Ro Khanna of California, Senator Ruben Gallego from Arizona, and Senator Elizabeth Warren from Massachusetts, in addition to the group End Citizens United.
Increasing political isolation
Although Blattner has long been a controversial figure, the accusation of sexual assault has led more allies to distance themselves from him, at a time when he has canceled a number of public speaking events.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, who chairs the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee, said: “The accusations published today are very disturbing. Violence, abuse and sexual assault are completely unacceptable.”
They added, “Blatner should withdraw immediately as the Democratic nominee for Senate, and allow Maine Democrats to choose a new candidate who can defeat Susan Collins,” and they continued, “The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee will not invest in the Senate race in Maine if Blatner remains on the ballot.”
Blatner won the Democratic primary in Maine last April, defeating a centrist Democrat from the establishment wing of the party.
But his standing among voters has declined in recent polls. 50% of voters said – in a poll conducted by the New York Times, along with two other institutions – that they have an unsupportive opinion of him, while 53% said the same in a Fox News poll.
In the New York Times poll, 76% of respondents said they had heard a lot about the controversies surrounding Plattner, while 52% said they could not support him, or that these controversies made them wonder whether they would support him.
Blattner had previously faced these controversies by pledging that no further accusations would arise against him. In an interview with “MS Now,” he said that he expected the Republican Party to “fight as dirty as possible” and to “constantly dig things up,” but stressed that “there will not be anything new.”
Pivotal race
The race in Maine is of particular importance to Democrats, as Blattner challenges Republican Senator Susan Collins in a confrontation considered pivotal for control of the Senate.
Collins said the accusations against Blatner were “horrific,” but added that “the choice of the Democratic Senate nominee is none of my business.”
According to Maine law, Blattner can be replaced on the ballot if he withdraws by July 13, with the replacement candidate to be named by July 27.
The jockeying to change him began shortly after he said he was rethinking the race, with much attention focused on Democrats who ran in the gubernatorial primary and lost last month to former Maine House Speaker Hannah Pingree.
Shortly after withdrawing his endorsement of Blatner, Khanna promoted former state Sen. Troy Jackson, while other progressives weighed in on social media, demanding that party officials choose another progressive candidate, without specifying a specific name.
Possible replacements include Nirav Shah, a former Maine health official who finished second in the governor’s race, and Sheena Bellows, Maine’s secretary of state. The two urged Blatner to leave the race in statements they posted on social media.
