Women romantically linked to Platner describe ‘toxic,’ ‘unsettling’ conduct: New York Times

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Several women who were romantically involved with Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner described their relationships to The New York Times as “unsettling” and “toxic” — the latest scandal to rock his campaign for a seat long coveted by Democrats.

Platner has faced a growing heap of scrutiny over his past, including recent reports that the candidate sent sexually explicit text messages to multiple women earlier in his marriage. He’s also drawn criticism for a since covered-up tattoo that resembled a Nazi symbol and a trove of now-deleted Reddit posts with controversial comments about Black people and sexual assault.

The progressive oyster farmer is running to oust incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins in Maine, where Democrats see a rare opening in the race that’s key to taking control of the Senate in the midterms.

But the new report from The New York Times, citing interviews with multiple women who had been romantically involved with Platner at different points in his life, adds more controversial claims to the pile ahead of the June 9 primary.

Lyndsey Fifield, a Virginia conservative who reportedly dated Platner from 2013 to 2015, said Platner would discuss violence and could be rough with her, though she clarified that he did not hit or punch her. The newspaper also noted it could not independently verify the claims around roughness.

“He said this a lot: ‘If anybody ever broke in here, I would rape them,'” Fifield told The New York Times, referring to a hypothetical home invasion.

Platner’s campaign did not dispute those remarks to The New York Times but told the outlet it “strongly disputes” any claims of physical intimidation or altercations.

Fifield also claimed that the Senate candidate once, as The New York Times described it, “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, telling her to remain there until she was ‘calm'” during an argument.

She and two other women who had each been in yearslong relationships with Platner recounted what The New York Times called “patterns of heavy drinking and womanizing.”

Jenny Racicot, a Maine Democrat who reported dating Platner on and off between 2019 and 2021, described his behavior as “reckless” and “unsettling” after a 2021 incident in which he arrived at her house drunk, despite her request that he not do so.

Fifield also cast doubt on Platner’s claims that he did not know that his tattoo was a Nazi symbol until recently, telling The New York Times that he had taught her the word for it, “my Totenkopf,” years earlier.

Jewish Insider had reported last year that an anonymous former acquaintance remembered hearing Platner use the same phrasing more than a decade ago.

Platner’s campaign maintained that he did not know the tattoo’s meaning.

The campaign also set up interviews for The New York Times with three other women who dated Platner, each of whom described more positive behaviors in their relationships and said he was not physically threatening.

Platner said in a statement to The New York Times also that he had “too often self-medicated with alcohol and was far from a perfect boyfriend” during “a very dark period” of his life.

“I take responsibility for all of that and wish I had been better,” he told the outlet. “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.”

Fifield, for her part, insisted that her political beliefs weren’t motivating her to speak out.

The Hill reached out to the Platner campaign for additional comment on The New York Times story.

Platner’s wife, Amy Gertner, responded earlier this week to prior reports that he had sent sexually explicit texts to women during their marriage, calling the media’s coverage “shameful” while vowing that she was standing by her husband. The Wall Street Journal reported that Gertner had brought the messages to the campaign’s attention to make sure it wouldn’t pose issues for his candidacy.

Platner met with senators in Washington, D.C., last week amid concerns about the potential liabilities for his Senate campaign. One Senate Democrat who did not attend the meeting told The Hill that he’d heard “a lot of concern” that there could be more revelations about Platner’s past to come.

A new internal poll from the Platner campaign, released Wednesday by Public Policy Polling, found Platner with a 4-point lead over Collins in a hypothetical general election showdown. But analyst Nate Silver said the results are “not super reassuring given that internal polls typically exaggerate their candidate’s standing by 4 points or so.”

Platner coalesced Democratic support after Maine Gov. Janet Mills (D), one of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s (D-N.Y.) top recruits, suspended her campaign after struggling to gain traction in polls and fundraising. Still, Senate leaders haven’t indicated that they would consider dropping their support for his bid.

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Janet Mills

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Susan Collins

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