Graham Platner, the Democratic Senate candidate in Maine, is facing fresh allegations from multiple women who describe his behavior in past relationships as “toxic” and “unsettling,” according to a New York Times report published Wednesday. The accounts add to a growing list of controversies that have dogged Platner’s campaign to unseat Republican Senator Susan Collins.
Lyndsey Fifield, a Virginia conservative who dated Platner from 2013 to 2015, told the Times that Platner often discussed violence and could be physically rough with her, though she said he never hit or punched her. The newspaper noted it could not independently verify her claims. Fifield quoted Platner as saying, “If anybody ever broke in here, I would rape them.” Platner’s campaign did not dispute the remark but “strongly disputes” any suggestion of physical intimidation or altercations.
Fifield also described an incident during an argument where Platner twisted her arm behind her back, shoved her into a bedroom, and held the door closed from the outside, telling her to stay until she was “calm.” The Times reported that she and two other women who had long-term relationships with Platner recounted “patterns of heavy drinking and womanizing.”
Jenny Raciot, a Maine Democrat who dated Platner on and off between 2019 and 2021, described his behavior as “reckless” and “unsettling” after a 2021 incident where he showed up at her house drunk despite her request not to. The revelations come on top of earlier reports that Platner sent sexually explicit texts to multiple women while married, and that he once had a tattoo resembling a Nazi symbol—which he now says he didn’t understand at the time.
Fifield challenged that claim, telling the Times that Platner taught her the word for the tattoo, “my Totenkopf,” years before. Jewish Insider previously reported that an anonymous acquaintance recalled hearing Platner use the same phrase more than a decade ago. Platner’s campaign maintains he did not know the tattoo’s meaning.
In a statement to the Times, Platner acknowledged “a very dark period of my life” where he “too often self medicated with alcohol, and was far from a perfect boyfriend.” He said, “I take responsibility for all of that, and wish I had been better. Any characterization beyond that is false, and I believe, politically motivated.”
The campaign also arranged interviews with three other women who dated Platner, each of whom described more positive experiences and said he was not physically threatening. Fifield insisted her political beliefs were not behind her decision to speak out.
The controversy has overshadowed Platner’s Washington meetings with Senate Democrats last week. Platner's Sexting Scandal Overshadows D.C. Meeting with Senate Democrats and raised concerns among party leaders about the potential liabilities. One Senate Democrat told The Hill there was “a lot of concern” that more damaging details could emerge.
Platner’s wife, Amy Gertner, has defended him, calling media coverage of the sexting “shameful” and vowing to stand by him. The Wall Street Journal reported that Gertner flagged the messages to the campaign to assess any political fallout.
Despite the turmoil, a new internal poll from Public Policy Polling, released Wednesday, shows Platner leading Collins by 4 points in a hypothetical general election. But analyst Nate Silver, who cast doubt on the findings, noted that internal polls typically inflate a candidate’s standing by about 4 points.
Platner secured the Democratic nod after Maine Governor Janet Mills, a top recruit of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, dropped out of the race amid weak poll numbers and fundraising. Senate leaders have not signaled they plan to withdraw support for Platner’s bid.
