{"id":227,"date":"2026-06-05T18:10:19","date_gmt":"2026-06-05T18:10:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/?p=227"},"modified":"2026-06-05T18:10:19","modified_gmt":"2026-06-05T18:10:19","slug":"democrats-graham-platner-headache-isnt-going-away","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/?p=227","title":{"rendered":"Democrats\u2019 Graham Platner Headache Isn’t Going Away"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Democrats winced at new allegations of \u201ctoxic\u201d behavior by several ex-girlfriends of Maine U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner, the oyster farmer and combat veteran who Democrats fear could cost the party control of the Senate next year.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIt raises some serious concerns,\u201d Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, the No. 2 Democrat in the Senate, told NOTUS about the latest controversy. \u201cCertainly he\u2019s on the defensive at this point.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-New Hampshire) called the new allegations \u201ctroubling\u201d but said it\u2019s ultimately \u201cup to the voters of Maine to decide.\u201d<\/p>\n

An ex-girlfriend, conservative activist Lyndsey Fifield, alleged that Platner once grabbed her hard enough to leave marks, yanked her out of a taxicab and once twisted her arm behind her back and locked her in a room, according to The New York Times<\/u><\/span>. The report followed last week\u2019s news<\/u><\/span> that Platner had sexted other women while married.<\/p>\n

Platner denied Fifield\u2019s allegations in an interview with MS Now on Thursday, and said he has \u201cnot once\u201d considered dropping out of the race.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are some allegations in this piece that, I just want to be kind of unequivocal about, are simply not true. Anything alleging physicality, anything alleging that I knew what my tattoo was. These are the statements of someone who is politically motivated,\u201d Platner said.<\/p>\n

Regarding his sexts with other women, Platner said, \u201cAt the beginning of our marriage, I made mistakes, and [my wife] helped me be accountable for them, and we worked through them, and the work that we did made our marriage significantly stronger, and who we are today is an incredibly faithful and happy married couple.\u201d<\/p>\n

Platner also accused Maine Gov. Janet Mills, who suspended her campaign for Senate in April, of \u201copportunism\u201d after the governor said last week that her name is still on the ballot for the June 9 primary. The comment set off speculation about her potentially reentering the race.<\/p>\n

It would be difficult for Mills to win the primary, which is just a few days away, with early voting well underway. However, Maine Democrats could replace Platner on the ballot in the event that he dropped out of the race by July 13, according<\/u><\/span> to state election law.<\/p>\n

And Mills isn\u2019t exactly moving to tamp down speculation about a swap.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Governor remains on the ballot, and in the wake of this week\u2019s stories, people across Maine are reaching out to tell her they\u2019re voting for her and encouraging her to get fully back into the race,\u201d a source close to Mills told NOTUS on Friday.<\/p>\n

Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pennsylvania), a vocal Platner critic even before the latest allegations, said Maine voters should get behind Mills.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it is time for Maine voters to take a look at the sitting governor, an honorable woman, that is a committed Democrat, that\u2019s already won statewide,\u201d Fetterman told reporters Thursday.<\/p>\n

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But the governor has yet to make any overt moves to restart her campaign, frustrating some allies. One person close to the governor said they wished she would send a definitive signal of whether she was still interested in the nomination, allowing the party to either rally behind her candidacy or find an alternative.<\/p>\n

\u201cI hope she doesn\u2019t string this on again,\u201d said the Mills ally, granted anonymity to speak candidly. \u201cI hope she just says, \u2018If Graham is forced out, heck yeah I\u2019m going to go for it,\u2019 or, \u2018I\u2019m not going to do it.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut she\u2019s not acting like she has much interest,\u201d the source said.<\/p>\n

The governor\u2019s ally added that he thought the party was currently in \u201cpurgatory,\u201d with Platner damaged for the general election but not so hurt that he\u2019ll be forced to end his campaign.<\/p>\n

Some Democrats are defending Platner, dismissing the latest allegations as politically motivated.<\/p>\n

\u201cSeems like a lot of nothing,\u201d Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-Rhode Island) told NOTUS, adding that he was \u201cnot impressed\u201d by the Times story.<\/p>\n

\u201cI mean, the only one who had anything to say that seemed unsettling was a woman who works for right-wing political operations,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Massachusetts) \u2014 two of Platner\u2019s most prominent supporters \u2014 both declined to comment. Rep. Ro Khanna (D-California), another Platner backer, defended<\/u><\/span> him and is scheduled to campaign with him in Maine on Friday.<\/p>\n

Platner effectively outmuscled the Democratic establishment with his insurgent, populist campaign that included progressive proposals like \u201cMedicare for All.\u201d He combined that message with sharp attacks against incumbent Sen. Susan Collins, whom he\u2019s accused of being a \u201ccorrupt\u201d insider who only opposes President Donald Trump when it suits her.<\/p>\n

But now, Collins is sitting pretty as Democrats agonize over what to do about Platner and his odds of ousting the five-term senator known for her political resilience.<\/p>\n

As Platner was answering uncomfortable questions about his personal life on MS Now on Thursday evening, Collins was in the Senate chamber being lauded by both parties for casting her 10,000th consecutive vote \u2014 a big milestone she\u2019s likely to tout in her campaign for reelection.<\/p>\n

\u201cMainers are known for their work ethic, and they deserve a senator who works just as hard for them,\u201d Collins said in a speech on the floor. \u201cRepresenting the state of Maine is the honor of a lifetime, and I will continue to serve with the diligence and responsibility that Mainers deserve.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The Party is in \u201cpurgatory\u201d with Platner damaged but not dropping out, and no other Democrat emerging as an alternative.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":226,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-227","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-campaigns"],"yoast_head":"\nDemocrats\u2019 Graham Platner Headache Isn't Going Away - Modern Home Journals<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/?p=227\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Democrats\u2019 Graham Platner Headache Isn't Going Away - Modern Home Journals\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Party is in \u201cpurgatory\u201d with Platner damaged but not dropping out, and no other Democrat emerging as an alternative.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/?p=227\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Modern Home Journals\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-05T18:10:19+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/modernhomejournals.com\\\/?p=227#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/modernhomejournals.com\\\/?p=227\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/modernhomejournals.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/533de239efc09a2ab59959cc1bff86d0\"},\"headline\":\"Democrats\u2019 Graham Platner Headache Isn’t Going Away\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-05T18:10:19+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/modernhomejournals.com\\\/?p=227\"},\"wordCount\":953,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/modernhomejournals.com\\\/?p=227#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/modernhomejournals.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/40354c90f9103f642a54326afbed17ac-scaled.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Campaigns\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/modernhomejournals.com\\\/?p=227#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/modernhomejournals.com\\\/?p=227\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/modernhomejournals.com\\\/?p=227\",\"name\":\"Democrats\u2019 Graham Platner Headache Isn't Going Away - 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