Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner is going through allegations of unsettling and in least one case bodily threatening behavior toward women he dated, in accordance with a report published Thursday by The New York Times.
The report, which relies on interviews with six women who beforehand dated Platner, comes amid intensified scrutiny of his candidacy and raises new questions concerning the viability of a candidate who has turn out to be his social gathering’s presumptive nominee in opposition to Republican Sen. Susan Collins.
Not all of the women who spoke to the New York Times described troubling behavior from Platner. But three of them described unstable and “toxic” relationships, together with allegations of heavy ingesting, infidelity, demeaning behavior toward women and, in a single account, bodily intimidation.
Platner “strongly disputes” any claims of bodily intimidation or altercations, his marketing campaign mentioned.
Some of the accounts of the women return greater than a decade, to a time when Platner, a fight veteran, had lately left army service. Platner has brazenly admitted his struggles with PTSD, melancholy and ingesting throughout this time.
The story contains allegations from one former accomplice, Lyndsey Fifield, that Platner grabbed her by the shoulders repeatedly, generally laborious sufficient to depart marks.
Fifield additionally alleged to the Times that in an argument, she recalled Platner twisting her arm behind her again, shoving her right into a bed room and holding the door closed so she couldn’t get out.
In an announcement to NCS, Platner disputed claims of bodily intimidation and mentioned essentially the most critical allegations have been false and politically motivated.
“Throughout this campaign, I’ve been open about what was a very dark period of my life where I struggled with undiagnosed PTSD, too often self medicated with alcohol, and was a far from perfect boyfriend,” Platner mentioned within the assertion. “I take responsibility for all of that, and wish I had been better. Any characterization beyond that is false, and I believe, politically motivated. I’m not proud of who I was then, but I am proud of the work I’ve done since, and the movement we are building in Maine.”
The New York Times’s story on Thursday additionally added new scrutiny to Platner’s rationalization of a tattoo with Nazi symbolism he bought whereas within the army. Fifield, his former girlfriend, recalled Platner referring to it years earlier as “my Totenkopf,” a reference to the skull-and-crossbones emblem used by Nazi SS items.
Platner has beforehand mentioned he had not understood the image’s significance when he bought the tattoo whereas serving within the Marine Corps and had solely been made conscious of its which means final October.
But Fifield previously told NCS, whereas talking on situation of anonymity , that Platner was conscious of the tattoo’s Nazi associations years earlier than the controversy grew to become public final 12 months.
Fifield beforehand offered textual content messages reviewed by NCS displaying that she advised associates in August 2025 — earlier than Platner claimed he knew of the image’s Nazi historical past — that he “has a Nazi tattoo on his chest” and that “it’s a Totenkopf.”
Platner declined to remark to NCS final 12 months on the texts concerning the tattoo. The marketing campaign stood by his previous denials concerning the tattoo.
The newest allegations come as Democrats have more and more rallied round Platner after Democratic Gov. Janet Mills suspended her marketing campaign in April, leaving the political newcomer because the social gathering’s anticipated nominee in a single of the nation’s most carefully watched Senate contests.
They additionally arrive after months of controversies which have pressured Platner and his marketing campaign into an almost fixed cycle of harm management and apologies.
Since launching his marketing campaign, Platner has confronted scrutiny over deleted social media posts on Reddit by which he known as himself a “communist,” dismissed “all” police as bastards, and mentioned White Americans “actually are” racist and silly. He later disavowed these remarks, telling NCS they mirrored a interval when he was offended and disillusioned and don’t symbolize his present views.
Last week, Platner was pressured to confront reviews that he exchanged sexually express messages with a number of women exterior his marriage.
Reports within the New York Times and Wall Street Journal indicated that Platner’s spouse had alerted marketing campaign officers to the messages throughout inside vetting discussions.
Genevieve McDonald, Platner’s former political director, confirmed to NCS that Platner’s spouse disclosed to her final 12 months that Platner had been sexting a number of women and that the marketing campaign evaluated the matter as a possible political legal responsibility. NCS has not independently confirmed the existence of the messages.
NCS did confirm that an account on a messaging app appeared to belong to Platner, below the username “phustle0331,” that includes a profile photograph displaying Platner shirtless in a toilet with a towel round his waist and utilizing a deal with just like ones on his since-deleted Reddit account and a now-deleted Instagram account.
The controversies round Platner have prompted Democratic concern that he might jeopardize one of the social gathering’s most promising pickup alternatives in a cycle the place they hope to recapture the Senate.
Platner might face new stress to step apart after the most recent allegations, both earlier than or after Tuesday’s major.
In Maine, normal election candidates have till the second Monday in July to withdraw. That can be July 13 this 12 months. Maine legislation says the state social gathering would then have two weeks to place ahead a alternative candidate.
Maine is a vital state for Democrats of their uphill battle to seize the Senate majority. They have to flip not less than 4 seats, together with in states which can be extra favorable to Republicans than Maine.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer had recruited Mills to run after which signaled assist for Platner after Mills suspended her marketing campaign in April, citing low marketing campaign funds. Her identify stays on Tuesday’s major poll, together with that of a 3rd, lesser-known candidate, David Costello.
Schumer didn’t reply when requested on Capitol Hill after the Times’ newest report if he nonetheless supported Platner.
Some Democrats who supported Mills’ Senate marketing campaign believe she should resume it given Platner’s newest controversies. She has not weighed in on that chance however raised eyebrows Sunday when she reminded a Maine newspaper that her identify remains to be on the poll.
One of Platner’s largest allies in Congress, Sen. Bernie Sanders, has stood by him in latest days after the reviews about his textual content messages to different women. Asked Tuesday evening if he was fearful that extra damaging details about Platner would emerge, Sanders mentioned he didn’t know.
“I think it’s better for this country that we start focusing on the enormous crises facing working people, a corrupt political system, than spending so much time worrying about the personal life of an individual,” Sanders mentioned on NCS’s “The Source with Kaitlan Collins.”
Platner has been below intense media scrutiny in latest days. He lower his journey to Washington quick after studying that reporters had confirmed as much as a household dwelling and restaurant in Maine, in accordance with an individual aware of the matter.