Graham Platner faces disturbing allegations from ex-girlfriends amid growing campaign scandals

Graham Platner is facing a fresh wave of damaging allegations after multiple former girlfriends accused the Maine Senate hopeful of disturbing behavior ranging from violent fantasies to physically aggressive conduct.

The Democrat candidate — who has received backing from prominent progressives including Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer — was described by former partners as someone who “hated women” and made deeply disturbing comments during relationships spanning years before his political rise.

According to interviews with the New York Times, one former girlfriend, Lyndsey Fifield, alleged Platner repeatedly spoke about raping intruders to establish dominance.

Three women who dated Graham Platner, the Democratic candidate for Senate in Maine, told The New York Times they found his actions intimidating and disturbing, describing volatile relationships. https://t.co/ClaeKxVUEs

— The New York Times (@nytimes) June 4, 2026

“He said this a lot: If anybody ever broke in here, I would rape them,” Fifield said. “He was like, ‘I would rape them to show them that I’m dominant.’”

Fifield, who dated Platner from 2013 to 2015, also accused the Marine veteran of twisting her arm during an argument and physically preventing her from leaving a room until she had “calmed down.”

“It hurt,” she said. “It didn’t cause an injury, it didn’t break my arm.”

Platner denied the allegations and dismissed Fifield as a longtime Republican operative whose career centered on electing GOP candidates. But Fifield rejected the suggestion that politics motivated her decision to speak publicly.

“I know it looks like a bitter ex-girlfriend Republican trying to take down a Democrat — it has nothing to do with that,” she said. “If he was running as a Republican, I would be doing this exact same thing.”

Fifield also claimed Platner would aggressively grab her by the shoulders hard enough to leave marks and once pulled her by the wrist out of a cab she did not want to exit.

She further alleged Platner frequently made violent comments while sharpening an axe and watching television, including discussions about killing people he believed posed threats to him.

To support her account, Fifield provided diary entries and old text messages written years before Platner launched his Senate bid. One friend texted her, “DO NOT CALL GRAHAM,” while another diary entry referred to him as “the most toxic literally abusive man on earth who destroyed my life.”

The allegations add to a growing list of controversies surrounding Platner’s campaign to unseat incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins.

Earlier this year, resurfaced Reddit posts tied to Platner sparked outrage after he was found disparaging women, rape victims, minorities, police officers, veterans and working-class voters online.

Platner also came under fire over a controversial chest tattoo resembling the Nazi SS Totenkopf symbol, which he received while serving in the Marines in 2007. Critics questioned his explanation that he did not realize the symbol’s historical significance until years later.

One former girlfriend told the Times that Platner previously referred to the tattoo as “my Totenkopf,” contradicting his later public claim that he believed it was merely a generic skull-and-crossbones design.

The Totenkopf symbol was closely associated with Adolf Hitler’s SS units and became one of the most recognizable emblems tied to Nazi atrocities during the Holocaust.

Platner announced his Senate campaign in August and is seeking the Democratic nomination ahead of Maine’s June 9 primary.

🚨 JUST IN: A New York Times report says Maine US Senate candidate Graham Platner (D) defended saying he’d R*PE people to show dominance, his prior partners said he was “physically threatening” to them

Platner also admitted he knew he had a Nazi tattoo and called it “my… pic.twitter.com/j8miZETNtw

— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) June 4, 2026