PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — An ex-girlfriend alleges that U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner repeatedly grabbed her hard enough to leave marks, pulled her from a cab by the wrist, and, in one incident, twisted her arm behind her back and held her in a room when they dated more than a decade ago, according to a new report.
Lyndsey Fifield told The New York Times that Platner, a Democrat, never hit or punched her, but the incidents left her shaken and afraid.
Fifield, a conservative activist, told the Times she dated Platner for about two years, starting in 2013 when he was a student at George Washington University following his military service.
Her claims were published as part of a Times report on Platner's relationships with previous girlfriends, some of whom viewed him positively and others who described him as sometimes insulting, volatile or unfaithful.
Another woman, Jenny Racicot, who said she dated Platner on and off between 2019 and 2021, also told The Times about behavior that upset her. She said Platner once came to her house drunk in 2021 after she asked him not to come over. Racicot, a Maine Democrat, said his behavior was “reckless” and “unsettling.”
Platner, an oyster farmer and combat veteran who is favored to win Tuesday’s Democratic primary, denied being violent in a statement to the Associated Press. The Times said in its report that he declined to be interviewed for their story.
“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,” the statement said. “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.”
Attempts by The Associated Press to reach Fifield and Racicot were not successful.
Platner, 41, has filled theaters around Maine with his booming voice and progressive politics. He has no experience in elected office, but has fashioned a campaign focused on working-class issues such as the high costs of housing and healthcare. His anticipated run against Republican Sen. Susan Collins in November is key to Democrats' hopes to take back the Senate.
Fifield said that when they drank and argued, he could be rough, including one episode where he twisted her arm behind her back, shoved her into a bedroom and held the door closed from the other side so she couldn't get out.
“It hurt,” she told the paper, adding: “It didn’t cause an injury, it didn’t break my arm.”
In an appearance on MS NOW Thursday evening, Platner told host Chris Hayes that Fifield’s account of being pushed into a room is false. He said the accusations were coming from someone who was “politically motivated.”
“There are things in this that I absolutely will take responsibility for and have been speaking about openly for months,” Platner said. “But those serious allegations are just not true.”
Fifield insisted in her interview with the Times that her allegations were not politically motivated.
Days ago, Platner had to confront public revelations that he exchanged sexually explicit text messages with several women while he was married.
Platner has also had to answer questions about a skull tattoo recognized as a Nazi symbol, which he said he didn’t realize until he was several weeks into the campaign. He later had it covered up with a different design. Platner has said he didn’t realize the meaning of the tattoo.
However, Fifield told the Times that he joked about it being a Nazi symbol and called it “my Totenkopf.”
Platner, in his MS NOW interview, again denied knowing the meaning of his tattoo.
High-profile backers of Platner, including independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, stood by the candidate in the wake of those allegations. No prominent Democrats immediately came forward Thursday to rescind endorsements of Platner.
U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna, a California Democrat who is scheduled to appear at a campaign event with Platner in Maine on Friday, called the behavior described in the Times as “wrong and toxic,” but added, "Graham has acknowledged that and sought redemption. The people of Maine deserve a senator who is going to stand up to the billionaire class, against genocide, and for the working class.”
There’s also been much attention on Platner's past posts on the social media site Reddit, which were dismissive of military sexual assaults and used homophobic slurs, for which he has apologized.
Platner’s campaign weathered those earlier revelations in what had been considered one of the most competitive Democratic primaries before Gov. Janet Mills dropped out of the race in late April due to a lack of campaign funds.
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Associated Press writers Kimberlee Kruesi in Providence, Rhode Island, and Joey Cappelletti in Washington, D.C., contributed to this report.
