<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Former Democratic Senate nominee Graham Platner was removed as a speaker from a Labor Day event in Maine, which was to be one of his first major public appearances since ending his campaign for Congress.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Platner was scheduled to speak on Monday at a rally organized by Hancock County Activists and Acadia Action Peacemakers, groups involved in the nationwide anti-Trump "No Kings" protests. The rally is taking place in Ellsworth, near his hometown of Sullivan.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Event organizers informed the Associated Press on Wednesday that Platner was dropped from the speaker lineup after being urged to do so by Jenny Racicot, an ex-girlfriend who accused him of rape. Another ex-girlfriend, Lyndsey Fifield, also advocated for his removal, alleging toxic behavior and emotional abuse.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">"Graham is not speaking," said Carol Leonard of Hancock County Activists, noting that Platner will instead lead a veterans’ march after the rally. "The media frenzy got just too insane, and we became concerned about safety."</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Platner has denied the allegations of rape, sexual, or domestic abuse made by his ex-girlfriends, which led to his suspension of the campaign in Maine for the Senate.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">After he withdrew from the race against Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), Racicot and Fifield continued to pressure the event organizers to remove him from the pro-union event.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">"While Graham’s behavior is disappointing, it’s hardly surprising," Racicot and Fifield stated in a joint statement. "What is surprising is that there are people who are still willing to give him a platform despite his refusal to take any accountability for his actions."</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Cheyenne Hunt, executive director of Reckoning Action, also called for organizers to withdraw Platner’s invitation, according to WMTW.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">"Continuing to give Graham Platner a bully pulpit is irresponsible, reckless, and antithetical to the direction we should be headed as Democrats," Hunt said in a statement. "We call on the Hancock County Activists to rescind his invitation to speak, and we call on Democrats everywhere to stand with survivors."</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Platner was replaced by Troy Jackson at the top of the Democratic ticket. Jackson is now set to face Collins in November in a closely watched race that could impact majority control of the Senate.</p>