Bernie Sanders stood by Graham Platner on Saturday, even after fresh allegations from multiple women reopened questions about the Maine Democrat’s conduct just as voters were heading to the polls. Sanders did not directly address the accusations in a social media post, but said Platner was “the only candidate who will do something” about the economy, healthcare and the tax system.
The defense came after reported this week that multiple women accused Platner of disturbing behavior and toxic relationships. The paper said Lyndsey Fifield, who said she dated Platner from 2013 to 2015, described him as “cavalierly contemptuous of women’s emotions, of our ‘weakness.’” Fifield also said he was rough with her while he drank and that she was never struck but was regularly grabbed by the shoulders. Jenny Racicot, who said she dated him from 2019 to 2021, pointed to controversial online posts he had made about sexual assault and rural white Americans.
Platner’s campaign told the Times that he strongly disputes claims of physical intimidation or altercations, though it did not dispute the claims around his remarks. The Times said it could not independently corroborate Fifield’s allegations about physical contact. In a separate interview with MS NOW, Platner said allegations of physicality were “simply not true” and denied knowing what his tattoo was. He also said he had been open from the start about struggling after combat service, being “not a good boyfriend” and self-medicating with alcohol during a dark period of his life.
The controversy has only widened around a candidate who is now the presumptive Democratic nominee for Senate in Maine. Last weekend, The and reported that Amy Gertner had told his Senate campaign last year about sexually explicit texts he sent to several women. Genevieve McDonald said Gertner reached out to her before a rally with Sanders to warn her about the texts, which she said went to as many as a dozen women. McDonald called the Senate “not a training ground for redemption.”
Platner leaned into the backlash at a Friday rally in Maine, asking Gertner to stand as supporters rose to their feet and chanted her name. He told the crowd, “As every single piece of that past and journey gets dug up, litigated, and weaponized, you have my back.” That support has not been limited to Sanders; Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Elizabeth Warren have also backed him despite criticism over sexually explicit messages, offensive social media posts and allegations involving a Nazi-linked tattoo. Sanders did not respond Tuesday when Digital asked whether he believed the women accusing Platner of abuse or whether Platner knew about the tattoo.
With Maine Democrats voting Tuesday to decide who will face Sen. Susan Collins in November, the question is no longer whether Platner’s baggage is real. It is whether enough voters — and enough party leaders — will treat it as disqualifying.
