Ro Khanna says he regrets endorsing Graham Platner after sexual assault allegations surfaced in Maine Senate race

Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) said he regrets endorsing Graham Platner in the Maine Senate race, after Platner formally withdrew from the contest against Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine). Khanna’s remark came after an ex-girlfriend of Platner publicly alleged that he sexually assaulted her in 2021, an account that was part of the series of events leading to Platner’s exit from the race.

Khanna said he endorsed Platner at an earlier point in the campaign but later concluded that he had made an error in doing so. “I got that call wrong,” Khanna told NBC News’s “Meet the Press” in comments aired after Platner’s withdrawal, according to The Hill.

Platner’s decision to leave the race followed his dispute with allegations that included the 2021 assault claim. The Hill reported that Platner’s formal drop-out came after the allegations were raised publicly and drew attention during the campaign against Collins, a two-term incumbent.

Khanna’s statement adds another prominent Democratic figure to the list of officials who have publicly recalibrated their support amid rapid developments in the final stretch of the contest. The episode has also put renewed focus on how quickly endorsements can become liabilities when new allegations emerge and candidates change course.

For Collins, the practical effect of Platner’s withdrawal is that the race moves forward without a candidate who had initially sought to challenge her on the Democratic side. With Platner out, the remaining election context narrows to the general contest featuring Collins and, as reported by The Hill, the wider political attention shifts to who will speak for the vacant Democratic candidacy lane.

Khanna’s remarks also underscore the role of congressional endorsements in high-visibility Senate contests. When lawmakers back candidates, voters often treat those endorsements as indicates of judgment, and reversals can become part of the public record once circumstances change.

Beyond the immediate nomination and ballot implications, the episode raises questions about candidate vetting and the timing of public support. Khanna’s “call wrong” statement, as characterized by The Hill, is centered on his decision-making process rather than an assessment of the underlying allegations, which were described in the account as having been made by Platner’s ex-girlfriend and tied to an alleged assault in 2021.