US Sen. Bernie Sanders, among the earliest and most prominent congressional backers of Graham Platner’s campaign to unseat Republican Sen. Susan Collins, has joined growing calls for the Maine Democrat to exit the race following sexual assault allegations.

“I have spoken with Graham Platner about the best path forward for Maine,” Sanders (I-Vt.) said in a Tuesday statement. “In light of these very serious allegations, I have recommended that he step aside.”

Jenny Racicot initially told The New York Times that Platner’s behavior was “reckless” and “unsettling” during their on-and-off relationship in 2019-21, and that she cut off contact after he came to her Maine home drunk despite being told not to around five years ago. Politico reported Monday that the 41-year-old said he sexually assaulted her that night.

Platner, in a Monday video, denied “any accusation of nonconsensual behavior,” but also said that his campaign was “taking the time to reflect on the best path forward” given “the political reality” resulting from the reporting—which followed other controversies, including offensive Reddit posts, a tattoo resembling a Nazi symbol, and his past relationships, including allegations of physical aggression that he also denied.

After months of campaigning on progressive policies, the oyster farmer and combat veteran won last month’s primary by over 50 points, beating Gov. Janet Mills, who remained on the ballot despite suspending her campaign in April. After Racicot’s assault allegations broke, numerous groups and individuals—including other members of Congress who had endorsed Platner—called on him to immediately withdraw.

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