Graham Platner, the Democratic candidate challenging Sen. Susan Collins, said Friday that recent allegations against him are “politically motivated” and “false,” thanking supporters who packed a Maine theater for backing him amid the controversy, Platner said at the rally.
Platner has faced scrutiny over a range of issues including inflammatory online comments he made on Reddit, a chest tattoo he has said he later covered because it resembled a Nazi symbol, and new allegations from former girlfriends alleging a history of rape fantasies, heavy drinking and violent episodes, according to news reports. Platner has acknowledged struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder from military service and apologized for earlier internet posts, he told supporters.
The candidate’s campaign said more than 600 people attended the rally near Acadia National Park and that it raised $200,000 in the previous 24 hours. Platner has received endorsements from Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Ro Khanna, his campaign said. Khanna, who helped organize the event, told Fox News Digital he had spoken with Platner and urged accountability while also defending his recovery and economic agenda.
Sen. Susan Collins, the Republican incumbent, called the new allegations “troubling” and said Platner has “a lot of questions to answer,” Collins told reporters after returning to Maine, according to her office. The Republican National Committee posted excerpts on X highlighting the accusations against Platner, the RNC wrote in a social media post.
The contest in Maine, a state that leans left, is among several races that could determine control of the U.S. Senate. Platner was widely seen as the likely Democratic nominee after Gov. Janet Mills suspended her campaign earlier this spring amid fundraising and polling shortfalls, according to reports. Voters Fox News Digital spoke with ahead of the rally expressed differing views on whether the controversies would affect their vote.
Jon Ross Myers is the executive editor and publisher of the Mississippi News Network, Mississippi's largest digital only media company. He can be reached at editor@tippahnews.com
