The Young Turks founder and CEO Cenk Uygur has accused mainstream media outlets of «politically assassinating» embattled Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner, after a new sexual assault allegation surfaced against the Maine oysterman. In a series of posts on X on Tuesday, Uygur argued that the coverage was part of a broader effort to eliminate anti-establishment and anti-Israel voices from the Democratic Party.
The accusation came one day after Politico published allegations from Jenny Racicot, who said she dated Platner. Racicot told Politico that in 2021, Platner drunkenly entered her home and forced her to have sex with him against her will. Platner denied the allegations in a video released by his campaign Monday, calling them «troubling, serious and false.» He added that «any accusation of nonconsensual behavior is categorically false» and that his campaign was «taking the time to reflect on the best path forward» in light of what he described as the «inaccuracy of the reporting.»
The allegations marked the latest crisis for Platner's campaign, which has faced multiple controversies involving allegations from former partners and scrutiny over other aspects of his past. Despite Platner's denial, the latest allegations sparked major political backlash as Democrats began rescinding their endorsements, with some calling on him to drop out of the race. Among those who distanced themselves were Reps. Ro Khanna of California, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, and Sen. Ruben Gallego of Arizona. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who had previously endorsed Platner, said in a post on X that he had spoken with Platner and «recommended that he step aside.»
Uygur, who has long used his platform to champion left-wing insurgent candidates, continued to defend Platner even as the controversies mounted. He warned the Democratic Party against replacing Platner with candidates who are pro-Israel and in favor of corporate PACs. «If he drops out and Democratic Party tries to give us two candidates who are both for Israel and corporate pacs, they'll face a revolt like they've never seen. Days of bull*** false choices are over,» Uygur wrote. He said he wants a candidate that is «even more against corporate pacs, more against Israel, more against the establishment, more against corruption, more against the status quo.»
In a subsequent post, Uygur warned that those who supported Platner would also face «character assassinations.» He wrote: «Next the character assassins will move on to smearing anyone who supported Platner. They'll try guilt by association, to eliminate more opponents of the establishment. This is how these thugs operate and pick off outsiders one by one. Meanwhile, no one looks into the insiders.» He also predicted that the media's «next target» would likely be an anti-Israel outsider.
Uygur has repeatedly argued that Democrats and the media targeted Platner because of the candidate's opposition to Israel. Since April, he has accused Democrats of targeting Platner over his views on the war in Gaza and U.S. support for Israel. Last month, he said on X that Platner's critics «work for Israel» and that the Democrats attacking the Maine candidate were «ordered to do so by their handlers.»
The latest allegations come just one day after The New York Times published allegations by Racicot and other women who previously dated Platner. Although the Times also interviewed women who spoke positively about Platner, the allegations by Racicot and the others became the focus of the scandal. One of the women interviewed by the Times, Lyndsey Fifield, shed light on a controversy that plagued Platner's campaign in its early days: Platner had a tattoo of a Nazi symbol known as a «Totenkopf» on his chest, though he claimed that he did not know its origin until it became a campaign issue. However, Fifield told the Times Platner had referred to it as «my Totenkopf» and that he taught her the word for the symbol.
While the allegations reported by the Times last month did not appear to shift support among Platner's backers, the accusations that surfaced Monday prompted several prominent Democrats to distance themselves from him. Top Democratic operatives also weighed in. Neera Tanden, CEO of the Center for American Progress, said in an X post that she would «remain incredibly angry at the people who didn't vet this candidate.» Shannon Watts, a prominent Democratic activist, also called on Platner to step down.
Platner rose to prominence by positioning himself as an anti-establishment progressive, campaigning against corporate PACs and U.S. support for Israel. He has not dropped out of the race but said in a video released Monday that his campaign was «taking the time to reflect on the best path forward.»