Politics
Capitol agenda: Platner’s Hill support crumbles
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said he told Maine Democrat Graham Platner to end his Senate bid on Tuesday, in the wake of a POLITICO report that a woman who Platner dated said he forced her to have sex with him.
“I have spoken with Graham 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 a statement.
Platner has denied the allegations.
It’s Sanders’ first public remarks about Platner since the Blue Light News report, and it comes after he’s stood beside Platner in the wake of other scandals. Numerous other elected Democrats and officials called on Platner to step down on Monday night.
This is a breaking news story that will be updated.
NEW YORK — New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani called on Graham Platner to end his campaign for Maine Senate on Tuesday, becoming one of the most prominent voices on the American left to urge the embattled candidate to step out of the race.
“I believe that it’s time for him to drop out of the race,” Mamdani told reporters at New York City Hall, adding that he believes a campaign termination is the “only appropriate response” for Platner in the wake of the latest sexual assault accusation against him.
POLITICO reported Monday that Jenny Racicot, a Maine resident, accused Platner of forcing her to have sex with him five years ago. He denied the allegation.
Asked by Blue Light News if Mamdani is concerned that the Platner campaign collapse could have broader negative implications for the left, the democratic socialist mayor said: “I think the focus of today should be on the campaign coming to a close, and I think there will be many more days to have conversations about what it means beyond that.”
Mamdani never endorsed Platner’s campaign. But several of the mayor’s top aides, including strategist Morris Katz and press secretary Joe Calvello, have played leading roles on the progressive Maine oysterman’s Senate bid.
Since his upset mayoral election last year, Mamdani has emerged as one of the most influential voices on the progressive wing of the Democratic Party. Mamdani’s thumb on the scale comes after a number of other high-profile Democrats, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, have already urged Platner to drop out of the race before a Monday deadline to replace him on November’s ballot.
A wave of Democrats across the ideological spectrum is calling on the progressive to step aside while already circulating names to replace him…
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