SouthernWorldwide.com – Senator Ruben Gallego, a Democrat from Arizona who has expressed openness to a presidential bid in 2028, is now facing scrutiny over his judgment. This comes after he withdrew his endorsement for a second Democratic candidate who has been accused of misconduct involving women.
Gallego rescinded his endorsement of Maine Senate nominee Graham Platner on Monday following the emergence of a rape allegation. This action occurred just months after Gallego had previously withdrawn his support for Eric Swalwell’s unsuccessful California gubernatorial campaign, which was marred by separate allegations of sexual assault and misconduct.
Both Platner and Swalwell have denied the accusations leveled against them. In a post on the social media platform X, Gallego stated that he was withdrawing his support for Platner, describing the accusations against him as “troubling and deeply serious.”
Meanwhile, Lyndsey Fifield, Platner’s former girlfriend who has publicly accused him of abusive behavior, criticized Gallego after the Arizona senator’s decision. Fifield suggested that Gallego had been aware of warning signs regarding Platner’s conduct long before he ultimately withdrew his endorsement from the embattled Maine Democrat.
Fifield questioned Gallego’s sincerity, posting on X, “Mine weren’t sufficiently troubling or serious for you, right?” This was in response to Gallego’s statement, referencing accounts of her relationship with Platner that had been published by The New York Times several weeks prior.
Fifield’s allegations were detailed in a June 4 New York Times report that examined Platner’s past relationships. She claimed that Platner had repeatedly grabbed her forcefully enough to leave marks, pulled her from a taxi by her wrist, and, in one instance, twisted her arm behind her back and confined her in a room during their dating period several years ago. Fifield told The Times that Platner had never hit or punched her, but stated that these alleged incidents left her shaken and fearful. Platner has denied any violence and dismissed the allegations as false.
Despite these allegations, Platner had garnered support from influential Democratic figures both before and after The New York Times report. Jon Lovett, a co-host of “Pod Save America,” acknowledged after the June 4 story that The Times had reported allegations of Platner being “intimidating and even physically aggressive with past romantic partners.” However, Lovett argued that Democrats needed to consider the strategic advantage of having a Democratic majority in the Senate, even with Platner as a senator, compared to a Republican majority led by incumbent Senator Susan Collins.
Fellow co-host Jon Favreau had previously lauded Platner as the Democrats’ “best and only chance” to defeat Collins and described him as a “good, decent man who’s struggled and grown and is always trying to do better.”
Senator John Fetterman, commenting on the latest allegations against Platner, stated, “What he did is he effectively broke in her home – he went in her home without her consent, then he came upstairs and assaulted her. She also described that created a dangerous situation for a possible pregnancy because of those circumstances, what he’s done.”
Fetterman continued, “He was already a dead man walking politically. Even those ‘Pod Save America’ people who pushed that dirtbag — and they dismissed those things in The New York Times article — maybe they ought to apologize to the women that clearly they didn’t believe or they dismissed.”
He added, “I know Democrats that have back-to-back endorsed and gone all in on Swalwell and were on the Platner train as well too. So, maybe stop getting in bed with absolute dirtbags, someone like Platner.”
Mike Fragoso, former chief counsel to Senate Leader Mitch McConnell, remarked this week after the latest allegations surfaced, “The allegations against Platner are awful but are also unsurprising to anyone who actually read the NYT catch-and-kill story. The victim strongly implied the allegations there.”
The most recent allegation came from Jenny Racicot, a Maine Democrat who stated she dated Platner intermittently from 2019 to 2021 and had previously spoken to The Times for its June story. In a Monday Politico report, Racicot alleged that Platner entered her home uninvited in late 2021 after she had asked him not to come over. She claimed he was intoxicated, disregarded her repeated objections, and forced her to have sex.
Politico reported that it had reviewed text messages and emails provided by Racicot’s therapist, as well as spoken with individuals she had confided in following the alleged assault. Platner has again denied the allegation, calling it false.
Following the Politico report, Gallego joined several other prominent Democrats in withdrawing his support for Platner or calling for him to withdraw from the race. This comes as Democratic operatives face a tight deadline under Maine election law to find a replacement if Platner does step down.
Republican Arizona State Senator Warren Peterson commented, “Gallego’s judgment is troubling. Another Gallego endorsement going down in flames.”
Fragoso noted the shifting sentiment towards Platner, stating, “For Schumer’s PAC, Senatorial, Gallego, the Pod Bros, et al. the only real difference now is polling.”
Meanwhile, conservative commentator Ryan Girdusky criticized Gallego’s personal history on X, writing, “Ruben Gallego is dropping Graham Platner like he’s a pregnant wife.”
This remark comes as Gallego himself has faced scrutiny regarding his 2016 divorce from his wife, Kate Gallego, who was pregnant at the time.
Unsealed divorce records reportedly indicated that Gallego filed for divorce on December 15, 2016. His own motion to seal the case noted that Kate Gallego had “not yet been served” but was “likely to give birth any day.”
In addition to scrutiny over his divorce, Gallego has faced complaints concerning his campaign spending on family travel, childcare, and other personal expenses. A week prior, Politico reported that Gallego had used campaign funds for family trips to Miami, Saint Barthélemy, Disneyland, Disney World, and Chicago. He also used campaign funds to attend the 2023 Super Bowl in Arizona, though the senator maintained that the tickets were a legitimate campaign fundraising expense.
