Ro Khanna says he regrets endorsing Graham Platner in Maine Senate race
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Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) on Sunday said he regretted endorsing former Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner (D), who formally dropped out of the race against Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) after an ex-girlfriend came forward and alleged that the former candidate sexually assaulted her in 2021.
“I got that call wrong,” Khanna told “Meet the Press” host Kristen Welker on NBC News. “I endorse a lot of people, but when I make a mistake I take accountability. And I think what people want is the humility, to take accountability if you make a call that’s wrong.”
Welker pressed Khanna on his past support after Platner faced criticism over a tattoo on Platner’s chest that resembled a Nazi symbol, over the candidate’s online remarks about survivors of sexual assault and after The New York Times published allegations from past girlfriends that Platner was allegedly aggressive toward them.
“For me, the line always was sexual assault or sexual violence,” Khanna replied, referring to the latest scandal reported last week in Politico. “And as soon as that came out I was the first person to withdraw my endorsement. But I will say I got that call wrong. And if there’s some self-reflection it is that we all need to see the signs earlier of people who may engage in domestic violence.”
Maine resident Jenny Racicot told Politico and CNN that in 2021, Platner allegedly sexually assaulted her while heavily intoxicated. Racicot told CNN’s Jake Tapper that politics did not factor in her coming forward, adding that she agreed with Platner’s policy proposals.
Platner denied the allegations of sexual assault and physical roughness with former partners and said he was unaware of the tattoo’s likeness to a Totenkopf. He also attributed controversial posts on Reddit that drew backlash to his struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder following his military deployments.
Khanna said he was not the only one to endorse Platner before walking back that endorsement after the allegations surfaced.
“Look, I wasn’t the only one. You had Planned Parenthood. You had Senator Warren,” he said, referring to Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.). “You had the entire Democratic Party. But I did get that call wrong. I think what is important, though, to understand is politics. He was opposed to foreign wars. He was for ‘Medicare for All’ and for the progressive movement more broadly, why these issues are resonating.”
Several progressive lawmakers and organizations came forward to rescind their endorsements and called on Platner to drop out, most notably Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).
CBS News’ Margaret Brennan pressed Khanna last month about the Times’ reporting about Platner that he varied from caring to “toxic” toward his former girlfriends. He called Platner’s actions “shameful” and “wrong, but they didn’t come as a surprise to a lot of the folks in Maine,” referring to his deployments in Iraq.
Khanna added that Platner “took accountability” for his actions, and later emphasized that if there was “evidence of violence, I would not support him if there was evidence of sexual assault. I’d have zero support for him.”
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Read the full story at The Hill ↗ · Axios ↗
Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) on Sunday said he regretted endorsing former Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner (D), who formally dropped out of the race against Sen. Susan Collins…
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Skip to content
Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) on Sunday said he regretted endorsing former Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner (D), who formally dropped out of the race against Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) after an ex-girlfriend came forward and alleged that the former candidate sexually assaulted her in 2021.
“I got that call wrong,” Khanna told “Meet the Press” host Kristen Welker on NBC News. “I endorse a lot of people, but when I make a mistake I take accountability. And I think what people want is the humility, to take accountability if you make a call that’s wrong.”
Welker pressed Khanna on his past support after Platner faced criticism over a tattoo on Platner’s chest that resembled a Nazi symbol, over the candidate’s online remarks about survivors of sexual assault and after The New York Times published allegations from past girlfriends that Platner was allegedly aggressive toward them.
“For me, the line always was sexual assault or sexual violence,” Khanna replied, referring to the latest scandal reported last week in Politico. “And as soon as that came out I was the first person to withdraw my endorsement. But I will say I got that call wrong. And if there’s some self-reflection it is that we all need to see the signs earlier of people who may engage in domestic violence.”
Maine resident Jenny Racicot told Politico and CNN that in 2021, Platner allegedly sexually assaulted her while heavily intoxicated. Racicot told CNN’s Jake Tapper that politics did not factor in her coming forward, adding that she agreed with Platner’s policy proposals.
Platner denied the allegations of sexual assault and physical roughness with former partners and said he was unaware of the tattoo’s likeness to a Totenkopf. He also attributed controversial posts on Reddit that drew backlash to his struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder following his military deployments.
Khanna said he was not the only one to endorse Platner before walking back that endorsement after the allegations surfaced.
“Look, I wasn’t the only one. You had Planned Parenthood. You had Senator Warren,” he said, referring to Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.). “You had the entire Democratic Party. But I did get that call wrong. I think what is important, though, to understand is politics. He was opposed to foreign wars. He was for ‘Medicare for All’ and for the progressive movement more broadly, why these issues are resonating.”
Several progressive lawmakers and organizations came forward to rescind their endorsements and called on Platner to drop out, most notably Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).
CBS News’ Margaret Brennan pressed Khanna last month about the Times’ reporting about Platner that he varied from caring to “toxic” toward his former girlfriends. He called Platner’s actions “shameful” and “wrong, but they didn’t come as a surprise to a lot of the folks in Maine,” referring to his deployments in Iraq.
Khanna added that Platner “took accountability” for his actions, and later emphasized that if there was “evidence of violence, I would not support him if there was evidence of sexual assault. I’d have zero support for him.”
Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Read the full story at The Hill ↗ · Axios ↗
Skip to content
Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) on Sunday said he regretted endorsing former Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner (D), who formally dropped out of the race against Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) after an ex-girlfriend came forward and alleged that the former candidate sexually assaulted her in 2021.
“I got that call wrong,” Khanna told “Meet the Press” host Kristen Welker on NBC News. “I endorse a lot of people, but when I make a mistake I take accountability. And I think what people want is the humility, to take accountability if you make a call that’s wrong.”
Welker pressed Khanna on his past support after Platner faced criticism over a tattoo on Platner’s chest that resembled a Nazi symbol, over the candidate’s online remarks about survivors of sexual assault and after The New York Times published allegations from past girlfriends that Platner was allegedly aggressive toward them.
“For me, the line always was sexual assault or sexual violence,” Khanna replied, referring to the latest scandal reported last week in Politico. “And as soon as that came out I was the first person to withdraw my endorsement. But I will say I got that call wrong. And if there’s some self-reflection it is that we all need to see the signs earlier of people who may engage in domestic violence.”
Maine resident Jenny Racicot told Politico and CNN that in 2021, Platner allegedly sexually assaulted her while heavily intoxicated. Racicot told CNN’s Jake Tapper that politics did not factor in her coming forward, adding that she agreed with Platner’s policy proposals.
Platner denied the allegations of sexual assault and physical roughness with former partners and said he was unaware of the tattoo’s likeness to a Totenkopf. He also attributed controversial posts on Reddit that drew backlash to his struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder following his military deployments.
Khanna said he was not the only one to endorse Platner before walking back that endorsement after the allegations surfaced.
“Look, I wasn’t the only one. You had Planned Parenthood. You had Senator Warren,” he said, referring to Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.). “You had the entire Democratic Party. But I did get that call wrong. I think what is important, though, to understand is politics. He was opposed to foreign wars. He was for ‘Medicare for All’ and for the progressive movement more broadly, why these issues are resonating.”
Several progressive lawmakers and organizations came forward to rescind their endorsements and called on Platner to drop out, most notably Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).
CBS News’ Margaret Brennan pressed Khanna last month about the Times’ reporting about Platner that he varied from caring to “toxic” toward his former girlfriends. He called Platner’s actions “shameful” and “wrong, but they didn’t come as a surprise to a lot of the folks in Maine,” referring to his deployments in Iraq.
Khanna added that Platner “took accountability” for his actions, and later emphasized that if there was “evidence of violence, I would not support him if there was evidence of sexual assault. I’d have zero support for him.”
Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Read the full story at The Hill ↗ · Axios ↗
This lens runs the verified story through Cinnamon's AI — wired in the next step.
- Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) on Sunday said he regretted endorsing former Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner (D), who formally dropped out of the race against Sen.
- Susan Collins…