Several Women Who Dated Graham Platner Recall Unsettling Behavior

On Tuesday evening, after a whirlwind day in Washington, Graham Platner, the Democratic candidate for Senate in Maine, rushed home.Rumors were spreading from Portland to the Potomac about Mr.Platner’s messy personal life, after news reports that he had sent sexual messages to women while married.

Democratic senators were pressing him about whether more damaging revelations were coming.Journalists were swarming, staking out his hometown.Amid the turmoil, Mr.

Platner worked the phones, rolling through calls to ex-girlfriends who might publicly acknowledge that while he may have been a bad boyfriend, he was, in fact, a decent guy.In interviews with The New York Times on Wednesday, several women did just that, describing Mr.Platner as a fun and caring partner, and saying they felt safe with him.

Some remain friends with him to this day, years after their relationships ended.But in extensive conversations over the past two months, three other women who had been romantically involved with Mr.Platner offered a far more complicated assessment, describing volatile and “toxic” relationships that were unsettling and at times emotionally wrenching.Mr.

Platner could be charming and charismatic, they recalled in interviews, but also demeaning to women and, in at least one case, even physically threatening.He drank heavily and was regularly unfaithful.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.

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