Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said Tuesday that he has told Graham Platner to end his bid to represent Maine in the U.S. Senate in the wake of allegations that the progressive Democrat raped a woman.
The woman, whose account was published on the POLITICO news website on Monday, said she dated Platner on and off between 2019 and 2021, until one night he entered her home and forced her to have sex with him. She said Platner was drunk and that she told him to stop repeatedly.
Platner, an oyster farmer running in his first political campaign, has denied the allegations but said in a statement Monday that he was taking time to reflect on his candidacy.
The new accusation led to immediate calls from leading Democrats for Platner to step aside. Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) on Monday night tweeted that Platner “has lost the trust of Mainers” and should end his campaign.
But Sanders did not weigh in on Monday night. He has been one of Platner’s earliest supporters and who stood by him in the face of other scandals, including a history of inflammatory online posts and a covered-up tattoo resembling a Nazi symbol.
On Tuesday morning, Sanders issued a statement to national media outlets saying that he had spoken to Platner about the “best path forward for Maine.”
“In light of these very serious allegations, I have recommended that he step aside,” Sanders said in the statement.
Rep. Becca Balint (D-Vt.) also called on Platner to end his Senate bid on Tuesday.
“The allegations against Graham Platner are deeply disturbing and deserve to be taken seriously,” she said in a statement. “I’ve spent the last year standing alongside survivors and making clear that powerful men cannot be allowed to escape accountability. That same standard applies here.”
At least one of Sanders’ colleagues thinks that the Vermont Senator has an obligation to say more in light of the latest allegations against Platner.
Speaking to Fox News on Monday night, Sen. John Fetterman (D-Penn.) called out Sanders and other progressive voices in the Democratic Party for continuing to back Platner following a New York Times report last month that he had acted abusively toward former partners.
In light of the latest allegation, Fetterman suggested that Sanders should take a break from endorsing candidates.
This story may be updated.
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