Maine’s Senate race hangs in the balance following bombshell accusations by a woman named Jenny Racicot, who accused Democrat Graham Platner of raping her in 2021. As we recorded this week’s episode of The Downballot podcast, Platner’s future was still up in the air, though he dropped his bid soon after. We brought on frequent guest host—and dyed-in-the-wool Mainer—Joe Sudbay to pore over the entire debacle.

We discuss all the red flags that brought us to this moment; the arrogant lack of vetting by those who recruited Platner; the mistakes made by Chuck Schumer and Janet Mills; Racicot’s bravery in coming forward; what Maine Democrats are doing to rectify the situation; and the party’s deep bench of potential replacement candidates.

Co-hosts David Nir and David Beard also catch up on recent primaries in New York and Colorado, where candidates connected to the Democratic Socialists of America recently won a string of stunning victories. The Davids explain how DSA’s strategy is paying off, but they also emphasize that the simplistic “socialists vs. establishment” framework glosses over many other faultlines that impacted each of these outcomes. Incumbents everywhere, though, should take heed.

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