Cheyenne Hunt, a progressive Democratic lawyer whose nonprofit aims to fight misogyny, said she is relieved Graham Platner dropped out of the Maine Senate race.
“Today, I’m proud of my party for drawing a red line and putting our values above political outcomes,” Hunt said in a statement posted on X on Wednesday. “Now the hard work begins to put forth a candidate who can defeat Susan Collins and ensure we send a champion for women to the Senate this November.”
Hunt, the executive director of Reckoning Action, had connected POLITICO with Jenny Racicot, who dated Platner and alleged that he forced her to have sex with him, which he has denied. Earlier this year, Hunt also was key to bringing forward sexual misconduct allegations against former Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.), prompting him to suspend his campaign for California governor. Swalwell denies the allegations.
Hunt endorsed Platner as leader of the group Gen Z for Change last fall but withdrew her support in June after three of Platner’s ex-girlfriends described what they called “reckless” and “unsettling” behavior from Platner to The New York Times.
In an interview with POLITICO after Platner suspended his campaign, Hunt said she was “deeply disappointed in those around him that are continuing in this incredibly tumultuous and difficult moment for the party in the country to stand by his hubris and suggest that he has any kind of leverage in choosing who his successor is.”
