Democrats this weekend offered mixed responses to recent allegations against Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner, with some standing by his campaign while a handful voiced deeper concerns.
Their statements follow a New York Times story published last week that detailed accounts of “unsettling” behavior by Platner toward past romantic partners. In one instance, a former partner alleged that he had twisted her arm behind her back and shoved her into a room during an argument – an allegation he denied.
“There 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,” Platner said in an MS NOW interview last week.
Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), a staunch supporter of Platner’s, said in a CBS interview on Sunday he believed the allegations that had been brought against Platner, calling the oyster farmer’s alleged conduct “shameful” and “ugly.” However, Khanna added that Platner had taken accountability and had “redemption,” and noted that he wouldn’t support the Marine Corps veteran if there was evidence of violence or sexual assault.