Several congressional Democrats expressed concern on Sunday over Graham Platner, the expected Senate nominee in Maine, while others continued to support his candidacy. This comes after revelations from multiple women about troubling relationships with him.
The weekend saw reactions across news programs and social media as the party confronted challenges with Platner’s campaign in a crucial Senate race ahead of Tuesday’s primary election. Representative Ro Khanna of California, a passionate supporter of Platner, stated he believed the account of a woman who accused Platner of threatening behavior and advised the campaign not to attack her.
The New York Times reported that three women who dated Platner described him as volatile and demeaning. This followed earlier news on May 30 about Platner exchanging sexual messages with women outside his marriage as recently as last year.
Senator Mark Warner of Virginia, a centrist Democrat, said on Fox News the allegations were “beyond disturbing.” He emphasized the decision should ultimately be made by Maine voters. “If these allegations are true, they’re very troubling,” he mentioned. “But I don’t know if they are true or not. I think, frankly, the people in Maine ought to decide that.”
Platner “strongly disputes” any claims of physical intimidation or altercations, according to his campaign. A Marine Corps veteran who served in Iraq, Platner has spoken about struggling with PTSD and said he “self-medicated with alcohol and was a far from perfect boyfriend” during what he called a “very dark period” leading to a “transformation.” He dismissed reports about sexual messages as distractions from the issues that matter to voters.