Graham Platner went on national television to deny explosive new allegations from ex-girlfriends, insisting he never got physical with a former partner as his once-surging Maine Senate campaign reels from a string of scandals.
The Democratic candidate appeared Thursday on MS NOW’s “All In with Chris Hayes” after The New York Times published a damaging report outlining claims that touched on sexual assault fantasies, excessive alcohol use and alleged aggressive behavior.
One accusation involved a confrontation described by a former girlfriend, who alleged that Platner forcibly removed her from a cab by grabbing her wrist before later shoving her into a bedroom and preventing her from leaving by blocking the door.
Platner flatly denied the claims when Hayes pressed him about the report.
“No, it did not,” Platner remarked. “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 in this piece.”
He acknowledged that the report included details about alcohol and his past behavior in relationships, but he separated those issues from the more serious allegations.
“There’s a lot about my struggling not being a good boyfriend, certainly self-medicating with alcohol. And I’ve been very up front since the beginning of this campaign that that was a pretty dark period of my life after I came back from my combat service,” he explained away.
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“And that’s what that combat, that’s what that kind of life looks like. And so there are things in this that I absolutely will take responsibility for and have been speaking about openly for months now, but those serious allegations are just not true.”
Hayes then asked Platner to directly address the specific physical allegations from the Times report. She’s lying about that is what you’re saying?” he questioned directly.
“Yes. That is not true,” Platner replied.
His campaign also pushed back on the Times report before the interview, telling the paper it rejected assertions that he knowingly wore a tattoo linked to Nazi imagery and denied accusations that he had been physically aggressive toward a former girlfriend.
The campaign also attacked one woman cited in the report as politically motivated.
“Let’s be very clear: This is a lifelong G.O.P. operative who’s dedicated her career to electing Republicans,” the campaign added.
Platner’s latest media appearance came after earlier reports revealed that he sent explicit messages to at least six women while married.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Platner’s wife, Amy Gertner, told a campaign staffer about the messages after he launched his Senate bid, while his team was conducting a risk assessment.
Gertner subsequently posted a public video backing both her husband and his Senate bid.
Despite the political chaos, Platner told Hayes he has not considered leaving the race.
“No, not once,” Platner responded when Hayes asked whether the turmoil of the last several days had led him to consider ending his campaign.
“Amy and I knew early on that we were going to take lumps, and we just are — we’re dedicated to this, and it has never crossed our mind to drop out of this thing,” he also remarked.
The Maine primary is set for this upcoming Tuesday, and Platner has been viewed as the likely Democratic nominee to face Republican Sen. Susan Collins in the fall.
The race is one of the party’s top pickup opportunities this cycle.
Gov. Janet Mills suspended her campaign at the end of April as Platner gained momentum, but she has reminded voters that her name remains on the ballot as new controversies have continued to surface ahead of the primary.
Inside the Senate Democratic ranks, Platner’s problems were already drawing private concern before the Times report.
During a closed-door meeting in Washington on Tuesday, Democratic senators reportedly asked him whether more damaging stories were likely to come out.
According to The Wall Street Journal, Sen. Bernie Sanders pressed him on whether additional damaging revelations might still emerge.
“There aren’t any,” Platner reportedly remarked.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren reportedly highlighted a distinction between allegations involving infidelity and any claims of sexual assault.
Platner agreed and insisted no credible sexual assault allegations were on the horizon, according to attendees.
“It’s not a secret I’ve had a messy, complicated life,” Platner reportedly said. “The worst of the rumors we’ve all heard are not true.”
Sen. John Fetterman made clear Thursday that he did not buy the assurances.
When a reporter asked whether he was worried more damaging information could surface, the Pennsylvania Democrat pointed to Platner’s earlier claim that no additional scandals were coming.
NEW: Senator John Fetterman slams fellow Democrat and embattled Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner following a string of damaging personal controversies.
"Well, he lied to everybody. He said that there wasn't any after his Nazi tattoo situation, and now there's more and more… pic.twitter.com/bacJZN8fl8
— Fox News (@FoxNews) June 4, 2026
“Well, he lied to everybody,” Fetterman said. “He said that there wasn’t any after his Nazi tattoo situation, and now there’s more and more other things. So he’s already lied about that.”
“So I assume, you know, it’s like they say, for every ranch you see in Texas, there’s 50 that you haven’t seen. So I’m sure there’s plenty — a lot of more ranches in P-Hustle’s life,” Fetterman quipped.
Platner used the name “P-Hustle” on Reddit, where past posts have already caused trouble for the campaign.
The controversies around him have also included vulgar Reddit comments, with one notable post mocking a wounded combat veteran and Purple Heart recipient.
Fetterman also blasted Platner in comments to CNN. “What kind of a creeper has spent a decade on a platform like Kik, and send a dozen explicit kinds of messages and who knows what else?” he asked.
The Pennsylvania senator also criticized Democrats who have continued defending or avoiding criticism of Platner.
“All I’m saying is when I was growing up, if someone had a clear Nazi tattoo on them, you probably could conclude that they’re a Nazi sympathizer,” Fetterman commented. “Are you going to continue to defend that or dismiss that?”
He likened the controversy to past instances in which Democrats stood by embattled colleagues facing serious misconduct accusations, arguing the party risked repeating the same mistake.
“I’m saying that the last time Democrats leaned in on a guy that was sending, you know, [these] kinds of messages to women, I think that was like [Eric] Swalwell, you know,” Fetterman said. “I don’t know, that’s not someone I’m never gonna carry water for.”
Asked if Mills should reenter the race and Platner should step aside, Fetterman did not soften the attack.
“I think you shouldn’t send, you know, sexually explicit texts or d— pics or whatever he sends to all these women on Kik,” he said.
“I mean, you know, like it’s, it’s truly bizarre. I mean, what’s next? So, I mean, here is a guy that describes an American soldier, a Purple Heart [recipient], a dumb motherf—– that doesn’t deserve to live,” Fetterman went on.
“He smears Chris Kyle, you know, the American Sniper, cheers about the beating [of] IDF soldiers to death,” he continued.
“I dig it, like the thing he has going for him, he’s done so much bizarre and tacky and gross stuff that you lose count, you know, it’s like you need to have like a bingo card.”
Senator Fetterman calls Democrat Senate Candidate Graham Platner “a creeper” for using a messaging app filled with minors.
Fetterman reminded everyone the last time Democrats overlooked inappropriate behavior, they ended up with Swalwell.
He then dropped a direct challenge to… pic.twitter.com/QXh4c4W4aG
— Overton (@overton_news) June 4, 2026
In a separate interview with Sean Hannity, Fetterman challenged Platner to release the messages tied to his Kik account.
“This is a guy that had a problem with me, how I dress, but he seemed to have no problem posing in a towel at a disgusting website that consistently had serious problems about that kinds of depravity,” Fetterman snarked.
“Let me make a deal. I’ll tell P-Hustle, I’ll wear a suit every day, if he releases all those texts and messages that he’s had… [with] the dozen women,” he continued.
“You can prove [to] America… what’s [in] these conversations. Can P-Hustle prove how old these people are?”
