Author Stephen King deletes social media posts after backlash related to Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner. Multiple outlets report that King initially posted remarks implying he hopes Platner does not drop out of the race despite allegations against him. The posts follow a report by Politico describing an accusation by Platner’s former girlfriend, Jenny Racicot, who alleges that Platner raped her. After receiving criticism, King deletes the post and issues clarifications in additional tweets. The later statements are described as walking back or distancing from any perceived defense of Platner. One outlet characterizes King’s response as saying he is “not” defending Platner, while others describe the sequence as a retreat from earlier wording that critics viewed as downplaying the allegation. The reporting across outlets agrees that King is a Maine resident and that the controversy centers on King’s posts about Platner amid public scrutiny of the rape accusation and the resulting backlash toward the candidate.