Sanders backs Platner despite toxic-relationship allegations

Sanders backs – Sen. Bernie Sanders reaffirmed his support for Graham Platner, Maine’s presumptive Democratic Senate nominee, after multiple women accused Platner of “toxic” behavior and alleged physical intimidation this week. Sanders did not respond directly to the allegati

For the third time this week, the political question in Maine wasn’t just whether Graham Platner could win a Senate race. It was whether a man backed by one of the party’s biggest names could survive fresh allegations that describe a relationship marked by control, contempt, and “toxic” dynamics.

On Saturday, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., reaffirmed his support for Platner after new allegations published earlier this week accused the presumptive Democratic nominee of disturbing behavior and creating “toxic” relationships.

Sanders did not directly address what the women described. Instead, in a social media post, he insisted that Platner was “the only candidate who will do something” about the economy, healthcare, and the tax system.

At a Friday rally in Maine, Platner leaned into the moment he knew was coming. “As every single piece of that past and journey gets dug up. litigated. and weaponized. you have my back. ” he told the crowd. then asked his wife. Amy Gertner. to stand. Supporters gave her a standing ovation as they chanted her name.

The allegations at the center of this week’s renewed backlash depict a split version of Platner: multiple women describe him as fun, caring, and safe—while others say that safety was conditional, emotional, and at times physical.

Lyndsey Fifield. 40. said she dated Platner from 2013 to 2015 and told the New York Times that Platner was “cavalierly contemptuous of women’s emotions. of our ‘weakness.’” She also accused him of being rough while he drank. Fifield clarified to the Times that she was never struck, but said he was regularly grabbed by the shoulders.

Enny Racicot, 41, said she dated Platner between 2019 and 2021 and referenced controversial online posts he made in the past about sexual assault and rural white Americans. She told the Times she “recognized a version of him that I had experiences with.”

The campaign response was swift. After the latest allegations surfaced, Forbes reached out to Platner’s campaign. The campaign told the Times that it “strongly disputes” claims of physical intimidation or altercations. while not disputing claims around his remarks. The Times also said it could not independently corroborate Fifield’s claims regarding physical contact.

When Platner was confronted with the new allegations on an MS NOW interview, he insisted they were false. After interviewer Chris Hayes read out a snippet from the article. Platner responded: “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. these are the statements of someone who’s politically motivated.”.

Platner added that reporting about him “struggling. not being a good boyfriend. certainly self-medicating with alcohol. ” was something he had been “very up front” about since the beginning of the campaign. describing it as a “pretty dark period of my life after I came back from my combat service.” He said there are things in the article he “absolutely will take responsibility for…But those serious allegations are just not true.”.

The “serious allegations” aren’t the only cloud hanging over Platner this season. The race has already been shaken by reporting about sexually explicit texts that Gertner allegedly told the campaign about last year.

Last weekend. The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times reported that Gertner told Platner’s Senate campaign about sexually explicit texts he sent to several women to ensure they didn’t impact his campaign. Former Maine state legislator Genevieve McDonald—who also served as the Platner campaign’s political director until October last year—told the Times that Gertner reached out to her before a rally with Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., to inform her about the texts he sent to as many as a dozen women. McDonald said the Senate is “not a training ground for redemption. ” and instead a “place for proven leaders with moral clarity and integrity.”.

On Sunday, after a campaign event, Platner was asked about the reports. He said he wasn’t surprised that “establishment media outlets” were running “gossip” instead of issues that “actually matter in this race.” Standing with his wife. he accused the Times and the Journal of “journalistic malpractice” and claimed they ran stories without any evidence “besides the gossip from a former staffer.” He added: “I’m confirming that what Genevieve McDonald said in the New York Times is not true.”.

His campaign released a video statement from Gertner. in which she said she was “really angry. disappointed” that her disclosure was made public and that she “[finds] it really shameful that there’s a group of media outlets and people who are willing to spread gossip instead of talking about real issues that Graham is running on.”.

In betting markets, the impact of the scandals has been measurable.

Platner’s odds of winning Maine’s Senate race against Republican incumbent Sen. Susan Collins have fallen this week on election betting markets. Bettors on Kalshi predict the race is now a toss up. with Platner’s odds dropping from 72% last month to 54% early on Saturday. On the crypto betting platform Polymarket, his odds similarly fell from 78% on May 23 to 60% as of early Saturday.

The campaign’s framing of the conflict has stayed consistent with its earlier message—combative toward the coverage, firm about denial.

One crucial line came as the campaign told the Times about Fifield, who has worked for Republican campaigns in Virginia: “Let’s be very clear: This is a lifelong G.O.P. operative who’s dedicated her career to electing Republicans.”

What comes next is already clear on Maine’s calendar. Maine’s primaries are June 9.

Bernie Sanders Graham Platner Amy Gertner Maine Senate race Susan Collins New York Times allegations toxic relationship Kalshi Polymarket sexting scandal June 9 primaries