Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner has rejected a new report detailing allegations of abusive behavior, insisting that the claims are politically motivated. The New York Times article, published on Thursday, includes an interview with a Republican operative who accused him of womanizing, physical misconduct, and making troubling comments about rape.
Allegations and Response
The allegations prompted fresh calls for Platner, 41, to withdraw from next week's Democratic primary in Maine, though he gave no indication of doing so. Platner, a progressive, has previously faced scrutiny over past social media posts and a tattoo recognized as a Nazi symbol.
The New York Times report is based on interviews with more than two dozen people, including Lyndsey Fifield, 40, described as a Virginia conservative who has worked for right-leaning groups and Republican campaigns. Fifield dated Platner from approximately 2013 to 2015 and characterized him as cavalierly contemptuous of women, stating that his offensive online posts reminded her of how much he hated women. In a 2016 diary entry, she described him as the most toxic literally abusive man on earth who destroyed my life.
Fifield alleged that Platner frequently grabbed her by the shoulders and once yanked her out of a taxi by her wrist. During one argument, she recalled, he twisted her arm behind her back, shoved her into a bedroom, and held the door closed from the other side so she could not get out, telling her to remain there until she was calm. The Times noted that Platner strongly disputes any claims of physical intimidation or altercations and said it could not independently corroborate Fifield's account.
Fifield further recalled that Platner would sharpen an axe while watching TV and left an AR-15 lying around in his Washington apartment. She said he described women as hatchet wounds, a crude reference to female anatomy, and repeatedly asserted that if anybody ever broke in, he would rape them, adding that this would not be in a sexual way or a gay way. Fifield told the paper that he was like, I would rape them to show them that I'm dominant.
Fifield also cast doubt on Platner's claim that he was unaware his tattoo was a Nazi symbol until it became a controversy last year. She said he had taught her the word for it years earlier, referring to it as my Totenkopf. Fifield previously worked for the Heritage Foundation, a rightwing thinktank that produced Project 2025, a blueprint for a second Donald Trump administration, and spent a brief spell on Republican Nikki Haley's 2024 presidential campaign. She is now a visiting fellow at a conservative group called Independent Women.
Platner's campaign stated: Let's be very clear: This is a lifelong GOP operative who's dedicated her career to electing Republicans.
Other Accounts and Reactions
The New York Times cited critical comments from two other women. Jenny Racicot, 41, a Democrat from Maine who dated Platner between 2019 and 2021, said that when she saw the old comments he made online, she recognized a version of him that she had experiences with. A third woman, also a Democrat from Maine who wished to remain anonymous, echoed accounts of heavy drinking and being unfaithful, saying she felt like collateral damage to the world that is his. However, three other women who dated Platner gave more positive accounts, praising him as a caring and charming partner.
Platner, a combat veteran, has previously apologized for social media posts and covered up the tattoo. He has spoken about dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) linked to his military service. In a statement on Thursday, he said: 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. 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.
Most Democrats remained silent, but Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, a frequent Platner critic, said: No surprise. The interesting part will be how those who endorsed him will respond to this. CNN's Manu Raju added that Fetterman told him Maine voters should switch to state governor Janet Mills, who suspended her campaign against Platner but remains on the ballot. Democratic strategist Michael Trujillo posted on X: I don't know how Platner continues. He's lied to the country about his Nazi tattoo, physically harms women, doesn't respect them, there is nothing about this man that says yes represent me in the United States Senate drop out, for the good of the country and most importantly yourself.
Republicans seized on the report. Senator Ted Cruz of Texas wrote on X: Women who dated Graham Platner say he was demeaning, volatile, physically threatening, cavalierly contemptuous of women, and casually joked about his Totenkopf Nazi tattoo. This is not one bad Reddit post. It is a pattern. And Democrats own every bit of it. Delanie Bomar, a spokeswoman for the Republican National Committee, said: Every day brings another deeply disturbing revelation about Graham Platner. If he's willing to do this to his own girlfriend, imagine what he's willing to do in a position of political power.
Earlier this week, Platner traveled to Washington to meet several Democratic senators, days after a disclosure that he and his wife have had marital difficulties and sought counseling after he reportedly sent sexually explicit text messages to other women. If nominated, he would face Senator Susan Collins, a Republican running for a sixth six-year term, in November. Defeating Collins is crucial to Democrats' attempts to regain control of the Senate.
