Platner denies assault allegations as Maine Senate race intensifies

Graham Platner is trying to hold his Senate campaign together while fending off fresh allegations about how he treated former romantic partners, a test of whether Maine voters see the disclosures as disqualifying or survivable in a race that could help decide control of the U.S. Senate.

Platner, the progressive oyster farmer seeking the Democratic nomination on June 9, 2026, denied allegations that an ex-girlfriend said he twisted her arm behind her back and held her in a room. He told MS NOW that those accusations were “simply not true” and said he had “not once” considered dropping out of the race. He also said the period after his combat service was “a pretty dark period” in his life and acknowledged that he was “not exactly acting with the best behavior” after leaving the military.

The allegations center on Lyndsey Fifield, who said she dated Platner from 2013 to 2015. Fifield alleged that Platner once twisted her arm behind her back and held her in a room, while also describing incidents involving grabbing and a cab ride. She said he did not hit or punch her. Another former partner described Platner as “reckless” and “unsettling,” though other former partners portrayed him more positively.

The new dispute lands in a campaign already marked by questions about Platner’s character and judgment. His campaign confirmed in late May that he had sent sexually explicit texts to multiple women while married to Amy Gertner. Gertner said she and Platner had gone through counseling and that their marriage is stronger now. Platner has also faced backlash over deleted Reddit posts in which he reportedly called himself a communist and advocated violence, along with a tattoo he later covered after saying he had not realized it resembled a Nazi Totenkopf symbol.

The fallout matters well beyond Platner’s personal reputation. Democrats see the Maine race as one of their clearest paths to a Senate pickup, with Susan Collins holding the seat since Jan. 3, 1997, and her current term ending Jan. 3, 2027. Platner would face Collins in the general election on Nov. 3, 2026, if he wins the primary, and the party’s leaders, donors and voters now have to decide whether the pattern of revelations looks like a campaign-season stumble or a warning sign about fitness for office.