Khanna condemns Platner conduct while maintaining Senate race support

Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna condemned Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner’s past conduct toward women as “misogynistic,” “shameful” and “wrong” on Sunday, but said he is still supporting Platner in a closely watched race to unseat Republican Sen. Susan Collins.

Khanna, a progressive Democrat from California, campaigned with Platner in Maine on Friday and defended his continued support during an interview on CBS’s “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan.” Platner, a former Marine and oyster farmer, is running in one of Democrats’ key Senate pickup opportunities. Collins is the only Republican senator representing a state won by Kamala Harris in 2024.

“His actions were misogynistic, they were shameful, they were wrong, but they didn’t come as a surprise to a lot of the folks in Maine,” Khanna said. “The Maine voters that I met said they don’t like it. They knew that he had these chapters. They are willing to extend him grace and redemption and they’re focused now on what he’s running for.”

Platner has faced successive disclosures about his past, including sexually explicit messages he sent to women while married, allegations about his treatment of former girlfriends and reports that he had a Nazi-themed tattoo. The controversy has intensified days before primary voting, shifting attention in the campaign from Collins to Platner.

The New York Times reported allegations from Platner’s former girlfriend, Lyndsey Fifield, who said that while they dated about a decade ago, Platner “regularly grabbed her by the shoulders — sometimes hard enough to leave marks.” She also said that during one argument he “twisted her arm behind her back, shoved her into a bedroom, and held the door closed from the other side so she couldn’t get out.” The Guardian reported another allegation from Fifield that Platner yanked her out of a cab by her wrist after an argument when she wanted to stay in the car.

Platner has denied claims of physical abuse. He told Maine’s News Center that he had been open about “a very dark period of my life where I struggled with undiagnosed PTSD, too often self-medicated with alcohol, and was a far from perfect boyfriend.”

“I take responsibility for all of that, and wish I had been better,” Platner said. “Any characterization beyond that is false, and I believe, politically motivated.” He has also denied “anything alleging physicality” and “anything alleging that I knew what my tattoo was.”

Khanna said Sunday that he believed Fifield and urged Democrats not to attack her. “I don’t think our side should be attacking her, and I appreciate her courage in coming forward,” he said, calling her political background “irrelevant.” He added: “I believe her.”

Platner’s campaign has described Fifield as “a lifelong GOP operative who’s dedicated her career to electing Republicans.” Fifield later criticized the New York Times on X, saying its reporters had “methodically delayed and twisted” her account into “a gift to the Platner campaign” and said she had expected other women’s accounts to be included.

Khanna said his support would end if evidence emerged of violence or sexual assault. “Obviously, look, if there was evidence of violence, I would not support him. If there was evidence of sexual assault, I’d have zero support for him,” he said.

He said Platner’s platform includes national health insurance, taxing billionaires and opposing the war in Iran. Khanna said Platner’s military service and struggles after returning from Iraq did not excuse his behavior, but were known to voters he met in Maine.

“People in Maine knew that he had had two tours of duty in Iraq. He came back broken in a dark place,” Khanna said. “That doesn’t excuse his behavior, but they knew this.”