Graham Platner’s own party is turning on him, and the latest blow came from a House Democrat who says the Maine Senate hopeful no longer belongs in public office.
Democratic Pennsylvania Rep. Madeleine Dean said Friday that Platner had “disqualified himself” from the race, telling CNN that the accumulating reports about his conduct had reached a point of no return. “I think it’s so distressing all of the stories that are coming out, and they’re more and more it seems by the hour,” Dean said on CNN.
Dean added that she is not a Maine voter but stressed that “he has disqualified himself in my eyes. He is not qualified to be a representative, a senator.” Dean did not call on him to quit the race. (RELATED: New Platner Scandal Quickly Turns Already-Heated Dem Civil War Into Even Messier Bloodbath)
NEW: Democratic Rep. Madeleine Dean says Graham Platner “has disqualified himself” from Maine Senate race.
“It’s so distressing — All of the stories that are coming out, and there are more and more, it seems, by the hour.” pic.twitter.com/XpqIBg4w27
— Boris Sanchez (@Boris_Sanchez) June 5, 2026
Platner has refused to step aside despite the pressure, and his party remains divided over whether to abandon him, according to The Hill. Some Democrats are distancing themselves while others continue to back him. Rep. Ro Khanna of California defended the candidate in a statement to NBC News. “The behavior described in the New York Times story was wrong and toxic,” Khanna said. “Graham has acknowledged that and sought redemption.”
The candidate, an oyster farmer and combat veteran, has denied the most serious claims, according to Fox News. Former girlfriend Lyndsey Fifield told The New York Times that Platner grabbed her hard enough to leave bruises and once twisted her arm behind her back. Platner called the accounts false and politically driven. He has also faced earlier scrutiny over sexually explicit texts to married women, a skull tattoo identified as a Nazi symbol, and old Reddit posts he has since apologized for.
The timing carries weight, since Maine’s Democratic primary falls Tuesday. Gov. Janet Mills suspended active campaigning but stays on the ballot, and her votes will still count, according to Fox News.