Senior Democrats are standing by scandal-plagued US Senate candidate Graham Platner despite a string of allegations of emotional abuse, physical intimidation and sexting — with one ally claiming the behaviour “didn’t come as a surprise to a lot of the folks in Maine.”
California Congressman Ro Khanna, a progressive Democrat who campaigned alongside Platner in Maine on Friday despite the mounting controversy, defended his decision to continue backing him in an appearance on CBS Face the Nation on Sunday. He acknowledged the allegations were serious while stopping short of withdrawing support. “His actions were misogynistic, they were shameful, they were wrong,” Khanna told host Margaret Brennan. “They didn’t come as a surprise to a lot of the folks in Maine.”
Khanna drew a firm line at violence, saying he would immediately withdraw support if evidence of physical assault emerged, but argued that the women who had spoken out had themselves said there was no injury. “Graham has made it clear that there was no evidence of violence. That to me is a red line,” he said. He also suggested Maine voters had already processed Platner’s past and were prepared to move beyond it. “The Maine voters that I met said they don’t like it. They knew that he had these chapters. They are willing to extend him grace and redemption.”
One of the women who spoke to the New York Times about Platner’s behaviour was Lyndsey Fifield, who described a two-year on-again, off-again relationship in which he would grab her by the shoulders — sometimes leaving marks — and on one occasion pulled her from a taxi by her wrist during an argument. She also described an incident in which he twisted her arm behind her back, pushed her into a bedroom and held the door shut. “It hurt,” she told the Times, while also saying “it didn’t cause an injury, it didn’t break my arm.” Khanna told Brennan he believed her account.
The split within the Democratic Party over Platner has become increasingly visible. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren continue to back him, and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer told reporters this week that after meeting with the candidate he remained focused on beating incumbent Republican Susan Collins. But Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman was far blunter in his assessment. “What kind of a creep has been on a platform like Kik, sending a dozen explicit messages — and who knows what else,” he told CNN.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries offered a more measured response on Fox News, saying he had not followed the allegations closely but was clear that “violence against women in any way, shape or form is unacceptable. It’s a red line and nobody should cross that. Any accuser who comes forward has to be treated with dignity and respect.”
Platner faces Maine Governor Janet Mills in a Democratic primary on Tuesday. Mills suspended her campaigning following the controversy but remains on the ballot. The winner is expected to face Collins, the only Republican in the race and a notably independent figure who represents a rare anomaly — a Republican senator in a state that consistently backs the Democratic presidential nominee. A new poll shared by the Platner campaign put him ahead of Collins 49 per cent to 45 per cent, a slight tightening from a lead of 51 to 45 in April.
