Sen. Ruben Gallego withdrew his endorsement of Senate hopeful Graham Platner after the Maine Democrat was accused of sexually assaulting a woman.
“The allegations against Graham Platner are troubling and deeply serious. I am rescinding my endorsement,” Gallego, D-Arizona, said on X.
Gallego’s decision Monday to revoke his Platner endorsement marked a shift — the Arizona lawmaker stood by Platner during several other controversies that have shaken the high-profile Maine Senate battle.
Gallego dropped his support hours after Platner was accused of entering a woman’s home without permission and sexually assaulting her in 2021, according to a July 6 Politico report.
Gallego
Platner denied the allegations by Maine resident Jenny Racicot as “categorically false” in a video, but signaled he may not stay in the race against veteran incumbent Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine. Platner said he is “taking the time to reflect on the best path forward” for his campaign.
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It’s the second time this year that Gallego has endorsed a fellow Democrat who was later accused of sexual assault.
Gallego’s former “best friend,” Eric Swalwell, ended his bid for California governor and resigned from Congress after being accused of sexual misconduct. Gallego initially defended Swalwell, then denounced him after the allegations were made public.
Republicans have sought to tie Gallego to Swalwell’s misconduct, especially as the first-term Arizona Senator weighs a 2028 bid for president.
Gallego backed Platner despite controversy
Platner has been at the center of several controversies during his campaign.
In early June, The New York Times published claims that Platner had demonstrated “unsettling” behavior around women he had dated. The story included a brief account from Racicot.
Virginia conservative Lyndsey Fifield told the Times that Platner had been physically rough with her. She recalled Platner twisting her arm behind her back, shoving her into a bedroom and holding the door closed from the other side so she couldn’t leave.
Fifield slammed Gallego for supporting Platner after she came forward with her allegations.
"Mine weren't sufficiently troubling or serious for you, right?" Fifield wrote in response to Gallego in a July 6 X post.
Months before he was accused of sexual assault, the Washington Post reported that Platner had downplayed sexual assault, according to now-deleted Reddit posts.
Platner has also been criticized for other reasons. He had a large skull-and-crossbones tattoo on his chest that resembled a Totenkopf, an emblem used by Nazis. He denied knowing what the symbol meant until last fall, but Fifield and Platner's former political director, Genevieve McDonald, disputed that.
Platner covered the tattoo in October.
In March, Gallego had called Platner “the kind of fighter Maine hasn’t seen in a long time” in a social media post endorsing his campaign. Gallego added that Platner was “someone who tells you exactly what he thinks, doesn’t owe anything to the special interests, and wakes up every day thinking about working families.” The pair both served in the Marine Corps and share a political adviser, Rebecca Katz of Fight Agency
Other Democrats who initially stood by Platner also rescinded their endorsements on July 6, including Rep. Ro Khanna, D-California.
