PORTLAND, Maine – Prominent Democratic leaders Shenna Bellows, U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Hannah Pingree have publicly embraced Graham Platner as a trusted ally, a champion for working families and the kind of leader Maine needs in Washington.
Their endorsements came after Platner’s offensive Reddit history and Nazi-associated tattoo had already become public.
Then the controversies kept coming.
A new report from The New York Times has placed Platner’s past relationships and alleged treatment of women under renewed scrutiny, adding to an expanding list of controversies surrounding the Democratic U.S. Senate candidate.
The Times based its report on interviews with more than two dozen people, including six women who had been romantically involved with Platner.
One former girlfriend, Lyndsey Fifield, described her relationship with Platner as toxic and alleged that he regularly grabbed her by the shoulders during arguments, sometimes leaving marks.
Fifield also alleged that Platner once pulled her from a taxi by the wrist and, during another argument, twisted her arm behind her back, pushed her into a bedroom and held the door closed to prevent her from leaving.
The Times said it could not independently corroborate Fifield’s allegations of physical intimidation or altercations.
Platner strongly denied the claims, saying allegations involving physical conduct were false and politically motivated.
Fifield has worked for Republican campaigns and conservative organizations, including the Heritage Foundation and Independent Women. Platner’s campaign highlighted her political background while disputing her account.
The Times also reported allegations that Platner used degrading language about women and made troubling statements involving rape and dominance.
Fifield further challenged Platner’s claim that he did not understand the meaning of the Nazi-associated tattoo he had displayed on his chest for years.
Platner previously said he did not know the tattoo’s significance when he received it.
Fifield alleged that Platner had referred to the tattoo as “my Totenkopf,” using the German name for the skull-and-crossbones symbol associated with Nazi Germany.
Platner denied knowing the tattoo’s meaning and covered it after the controversy became public.
The Times also cited two other women who raised concerns about Platner’s past conduct.
One former girlfriend said Platner’s offensive online comments reminded her of the version of him she had experienced while they were together.
Another former partner described heavy drinking and infidelity and said she felt like “collateral damage to the world that is his.”
Platner has acknowledged that he was a “far from perfect boyfriend” during what he described as a dark period involving untreated post-traumatic stress disorder and alcohol.
He has denied being physically abusive and said claims extending beyond his acknowledged past mistakes are false.
The New York Times report arrived days after disclosures that Platner had exchanged sexually explicit messages with multiple women during the early period of his marriage.
Platner said he and his wife had confronted the issue, worked through it and strengthened their marriage.
The growing list of allegations and disclosures has left Bellows, Warren and Pingree facing a question they have yet to answer: How can they credibly tell women that they support them, champion their rights and consider themselves feminists while continuing to stand behind a candidate whose past comments and alleged conduct have raised repeated questions about his treatment of women?
Bellows offered one of the most personal endorsements of Platner.
On May 2, she described Platner as both a friend and political ally.
“I am so excited to endorse my ally, my friend, and Maine’s next US senator, Graham Platner. Susan Collins doesn’t know what’s coming,” Bellows said.
After Gov. Janet Mills suspended her Senate campaign, Bellows also said she was “excited to work with Graham Platner to win big in November.”
Bellows’ endorsement came months after Platner’s offensive Reddit comments and Totenkopf tattoo had become major issues in the Senate campaign.
His resurfaced Reddit posts included homophobic slurs, disparaging comments about Black bar patrons, police and rural Americans, and remarks dismissive of sexual-assault victims.
Platner apologized for the posts and said they did not reflect his current beliefs.
Bellows’ endorsement came before the disclosures involving Platner’s marriage and before The New York Times published its report detailing allegations from his former partners.
Warren has provided Platner with some of his most prominent national support.
When she formally endorsed him on March 19, Warren said Platner would deliver change for working people in the U.S. Senate.
“Graham Platner is going to flip Maine and then actually deliver change for working people in the Senate,” Warren said.
Warren praised Platner as a combat veteran and oyster farmer who had inspired voters with “a populist agenda for a government on the side of working families — not the billionaires and giant corporations.”
During an April campaign appearance, Warren called Platner “my kind of man.”
When questioned about that remark and Platner’s existing controversies, Warren said voters should evaluate “not who Graham Platner was, but who Graham Platner is today.”
“That’s what Graham Platner wants to do. And I’m there to stand with him and to help in that fight,” Warren said.
Unlike Bellows and Pingree, Warren directly defended her support for Platner after being confronted about his tattoo and earlier online remarks.
Her argument was that Platner had apologized and should be judged by his current campaign and economic positions.
Since Warren made those comments, however, the disclosures involving Platner’s marriage and The New York Times report have raised additional questions about who Platner was, what he has acknowledged and what he continues to deny.
Warren continued meeting with and supporting Platner after the sexually explicit messages became public.
Pingree endorsed Platner after Mills suspended her Senate campaign.
During the Maine Democratic State Convention, Pingree urged Democrats to rally behind him.
“We’ve got to do all we can to support Graham Platner in his race against Susan Collins,” Pingree said.
Pingree’s campaign also said Platner was “the kind of leader we need in Washington to stand up to Donald Trump and fight for the health care and economic system.”
She later highlighted Platner’s support for her gubernatorial campaign, saying she was proud to be supported by both Platner and Mills.
Pingree’s public support came after the original Reddit and tattoo controversies, but before the disclosures involving Platner’s marriage and the allegations detailed by The New York Times.
Her endorsement now stands in sharp contrast with the questions raised by the newer reporting.
Pingree presented Platner as the kind of leader Washington needs to fight for Mainers’ health care and economic interests.
The Times report, however, included allegations from former partners describing Platner as demeaning, volatile and physically threatening, claims he has forcefully denied.
The strongest contrast is now between the character-based language used by Platner’s supporters and the conduct described in the reports surrounding him.
Bellows called him an “ally” and “friend.”
Warren called him “my kind of man.”
Pingree called him “the kind of leader Washington needs.”
The newest controversies are no longer limited to anonymous internet comments made years ago.
They include Platner’s admitted conduct during his marriage, allegations from former romantic partners and a direct challenge to his explanation of the Nazi-associated tattoo.
Platner has apologized for some past behavior, acknowledged marital problems and struggles involving PTSD and alcohol, and denied allegations that he was physically abusive or knowingly selected a Nazi symbol.
But as the disclosures continue to mount, Bellows, Warren and Pingree must decide whether their stated commitments to supporting women outweigh their political support for Platner, or whether those commitments end when the candidate facing scrutiny belongs to their own party.
As of June 5, Bellows, Warren and Pingree had not publicly withdrawn their support.
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