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Author Stephen King defends Graham Platner amid sexual assault allegations
BANGOR, Maine —Author Stephen King appears to be standing behind Graham Platner, even as the Maine Democratic Senate candidate faces allegations of sexual assault and growing calls to end his campaign.
Posting on social media shortly after POLITICO published testimony from a Maine woman who accused Platner of assaulting her in 2021, the prolific horror writer wrote “Graham Platner may drop out. I hope he doesn’t, but.”
King then went on to reference President Donald Trump, and the numerous sexual misconduct allegations he has faced over the years, calling him the “Abuser in Chief.”
Trump has consistently denied several public allegations of sexual assault, including non-consensual touching and kissing. In 2023, a federal jury found Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation of writer E. Jean Carroll.
In a second post, King wrote: “Tell you what–if you knew the whole truth about everyone in the Senate and House of Reps, those chambers would be dead empty. Jesus said, ‘Let him without sin cast the first stone,'” which provoked hundreds of comments criticizing King and accusing him of misunderstanding scripture and defending sexual assault.
King’s seeming endorsement of Platner comes as the candidate denies the allegations and is facing a flood of calls from Democratic leadership in Maine and D.C. to end his campaign.
The Maine Democratic Party called for Platner to withdraw, as well as high-profile supporters such as Sen. Elizabeth Warren, of Massachusetts, and Rep. Ro Khanna, of California. Notably, Vermont’s independent Senator Bernie Sanders, who campaigned alongside Platner in Portland in May, has not yet pulled his endorsement of Platner.
In June, when Platner was under scrutiny for reports that he sent sexual text messages to women who were not his wife, Sanders defended his endorsement by saying, “Is he a saint? I guess not. I don’t know too many saints here,” while pointing to the U.S. Capitol building in D.C.
