Scandal-plagued Senate hopeful Graham Platner has been hit with a slew of new allegations of violent behavior and disturbing rhetoric from former girlfriends. The Maine Democrat, already under fire over a sexting scandal, left a trail of bad impressions with women he dated from both Washington, DC, and his home state of Maine.
In an explosive piece in the New York Times, Lyndsey Fifield described several instances of physical intimidation she experienced with Platner. Fifield, who worked for the conservative Heritage Foundation, said the two were in a 'two-year, on-again, off-again relationship.' Despite insisting that he 'never hit me, he never punched me,' Fifield said Platner could become aggressive, particularly when alcohol was involved.
She told the Times he would regularly grab her by the shoulders, sometimes leaving marks, and once pulled her from a taxi by her wrist during an argument. Fifield also recalled an incident in which he twisted her arm behind her back, pushed her into a bedroom, and held the door shut, telling her to stay there until she was 'calm.' Reflecting on the encounter, Fifield said, 'It hurt,' but also told the Times, 'It didn't cause an injury, it didn't break my arm.'
She also described how he kept an AR-15 lying around his Washington DC apartment and would sharpen an ax while watching television. In what was called a 'warrior ethos,' Fifield claimed he would fantasize about killing people he believed were somehow a threat to him. He would also speak about 'rape' in a disturbing way. 'He said this a lot: If anybody ever broke in here, I would rape them,' she recalled, adding the act would not be 'in a sexual way, not in a gay way.' 'He was like, I would rape them to show them that I'm dominant,' she said.
Fifield insisted to the Times that if Platner were running as a Republican, she 'would be doing this exact same thing.' 'I know it looks like a bitter ex-girlfriend Republican trying to take down a Democrat — it has nothing to do with that,' Fifield said. Platner's campaign told the Daily Mail in a statement, 'Let's be very clear: This is a lifelong GOP operative who's dedicated her career to electing Republicans.'
Another ex, Maine Democrat Jenny Racicot, 41, described Platner's behavior to the Times as 'reckless' and 'unsettling.' 'When I saw the old comments that he made online,' she said, 'I recognized a version of him that I had experiences with.' A third woman, a Maine Democrat who asked not to be named, described the candidate as charismatic at times but also prone to heavy bouts of drinking. She said she felt like 'collateral damage to the world that is his.'
In a statement shared with the Daily Mail by his campaign, Platner noted, '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.'
Platner's campaign also put the Times in touch with other exes who had more positive experiences with him. Caroline Lemp dated Platner in 2013 and described him as a 'gentle giant' and a 'great boyfriend.' A nurse from Maine who dated Platner described him as smart and supportive. Another woman told the Times that although she experienced 'very problematic behavior,' she ultimately felt safe with him.
Platner scurried out of Washington this week to avoid questions about his sexting scandal, including shirtless pictures and explicit texts to up to 12 women discovered by his wife Amy Gertner. RNC spokeswoman Delanie Bomar questioned the Senate hopeful in a Thursday statement, asking, 'if he's willing to do this to his own girlfriend, imagine what he's willing to do in a position of political power.'
Democrats are hoping that Platner, an oyster farmer and Marine veteran dubbed one of the 'rugged guys' in the 2026 midterms, can win back working-class voters. He's looking to upset Republican Senator Susan Collins, but is facing major backlash from members of his own party who fear more scandals could emerge after the salacious texts were revealed last week.
Platner has faced numerous scandals since last fall, including the revelation of a Nazi tattoo that he has since covered up. Fifield also told the Times that Platner knew what the tattoo meant and called it 'my Totenkopf.' She explained that Platner clearly stated his unit saw themselves as killing machines and drew a parallel with the Nazi Schutzstaffel, or S.S. 'They literally, deliberately, selected it because it was relevant to their military unit,' she said.
Controversial Reddit posts also emerged during the course of the campaign, which Platner himself has described as including 'homophobic slurs, anti-LGBTQ+ jokes and sexually explicit stories denigrating gay men' to the Advocate last year. But the most recent controversy stems from revelations that Platner texted other women sexually while married, and the discovery of a shirtless profile on Kik. Platner has not denied the texts or the profile, describing the stories as 'gossip' and he and his wife have reaffirmed 'a very happy marriage.'
Wednesday afternoon, before the latest allegations from his ex-girlfriends came to light, Platner boasted that all the arrows shot his way had done little to dull his momentum. In a new poll by Public Policy Polling shared by the campaign, Platner leads incumbent Republican Susan Collins, 49 percent to 45 percent. Just two weeks ago, a poll from Platner's team had him up 48 to 41 percent over incumbent Collins; an April poll showed him leading 51 to 45.
But some Democrats have soured on him. Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman told CNN: 'What kind of a creep has been on a platform like Kik, sending a dozen explicit messages - and who knows what else.' Vermont's Bernie Sanders and Massachusetts' Elizabeth Warren are still backing Platner, and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer told reporters on Tuesday that he met with Platner, adding, 'we're going to beat Susan Collins and take back the Senate.' Collins, the only Republican in the race, holds an independent streak that makes her both loved and feared. She also represents an endangered species: a Republican who represents a state traditionally carried by the Democratic presidential nominee.
