SouthernWorldwide.com – Representative Ro Khanna of California has described the past relationships of Senate hopeful Graham Platner as “toxic and volatile,” while also stating that the candidate deserves “redemption.” Platner is the presumptive Democratic nominee aiming to challenge incumbent Republican Senator Susan Collins in a highly anticipated race.
Platner, a military combat veteran and oyster farmer, is facing scrutiny over several controversies. These include inflammatory online comments made on Reddit, a tattoo on his chest that bore resemblance to a Nazi symbol which has since been covered up, and recent allegations from ex-girlfriends detailing a history of rape fantasies, heavy drinking, and violent incidents.
This period marks arguably the most challenging phase of Platner’s campaign against Senator Collins. The race is one of several nationwide that will determine whether Republicans maintain their narrow majority in the Senate following this year’s midterm elections.
Senator Collins, returning to Maine after a week in Washington D.C. where she cast her 10,000th consecutive vote, was questioned by reporters about the latest allegations against Platner.
“The allegations in the latest story are troubling,” Collins stated. “And I believe that Graham Platner has a lot of questions to answer.”
Collins, a moderate Republican known for occasionally diverging from President Donald Trump’s agenda, is seeking her sixth term representing the liberal state of Maine.
“I’m more concerned about making it clear that we’re opposed to misogyny, those relationships were toxic and volatile, there’s no excuse for that,” Khanna commented. “I talked to Graham and he says he was at a very dark period, he had come back from two tours of duty in Iraq as an infantry man seeing violence and death. That doesn’t excuse it.”
However, Khanna added that Platner expressed that he “really grew as a person when he came back to Maine and he was an oyster farmer and he found peace and he is ashamed of that period. To me that suggests someone taking accountability and improving their lives and we need that redemption in this country. And I agree with a lot of his economic policies, that we should be taxing the billionaires, we should be focusing on the working class.”
In 2018, following Christine Blasey Ford’s accusation of sexual assault against then-Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, Khanna tweeted, “I stand with Dr. Christine Blasey Ford. Brett Kavanaugh is not fit to sit on the Supreme Court. #BelieveSurvivors.”
On Friday, at a rally in Bar Harbor, a resort town near Platner’s hometown of Sullivan, Maine, the candidate thanked a large group of supporters for their backing. He asserted that the criticisms he is facing are “politically motivated.”
“When hurtful things I said on the internet a decade ago came out into the public as I shared my personal journey through PTSD and darkness of recovery and accountability and growth. Maine had my back,” Platner said at the rally. “Now, as every single piece of that past and journey gets dug up, litigated, and weaponized, you have my back. And when politically motivated, serious and false, false accusations are made against me. Maine, you have my back.”
Platner, who has openly discussed his struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder stemming from his multiple tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, issued an apology for his controversial Reddit posts last fall, shortly after launching his Senate campaign.
Regarding the tattoo, Platner stated it was acquired in 2007 while he was drinking with fellow Marines stationed in Croatia. He explained that he had it covered with a new design after learning last year that it resembled a Nazi symbol. However, new allegations have surfaced, questioning Platner’s timeline regarding his awareness of the tattoo’s resemblance.
Republican groups have been actively criticizing Platner. A super PAC associated with Senator Collins has been running advertisements highlighting Platner’s various controversies.
The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) also targeted Platner in a social media post after Friday night’s rally, calling him “a fraud.”
“He’s preaching about living a small but decent life growing up in Maine. The truth? Graham Platner is an elitist whose parents sent him to boarding school in Connecticut and bought him a house,” the NRSC stated.
The Republican National Committee (RNC) also commented on Platner.
“Graham Platner says his violent and erratic past is being ‘weaponized’ against him. Platner said he would rape someone to show his dominance and ‘rape was about power’,” the RNC research team wrote on X, referencing the new allegations against the candidate.
As he campaigns for the Senate, Platner is advocating for an economically populist agenda, criticizing corporate influence and championing the working class.
Platner is widely considered the Democratic nominee after Governor Janet Mills, who had the support of Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and the Democratic establishment, withdrew from the race earlier this spring. Mills had been trailing Platner significantly in fundraising and polling.
Khanna predicted that “Platner is going to come out victorious. And we need to unite and realize that the goal is defeating Susan Collins. And everyone from Schumer to Sanders is unified around that goal.”
Platner’s campaign reported that over 600 people attended the rally. They also announced raising $200,000 in the preceding 24 hours, marking their most successful fundraising day since Mills suspended her campaign.
WATCH: Maine residents weigh in on Platner amid mounting controversies:
Jeff from Waterboro, Maine, commented, “it’s not a good situation” regarding Platner. “I think it’s somebody who shouldn’t be in the mix. I am a conservative but he’s just got so much damage, if the Democrats want to have a winner, they’re going to have to find somebody else. He’s not the guy. It’s just too much.”
Ellen from Acton, Maine, who identified herself as a registered Republican, stated, “is he a perfect person? Heck no.”
However, she added, “I think he will go in and do a good job.”
