Maine had my back: Graham Platner hits the campaign trail amid latest turmoil

BAR HARBOR, Maine — As he returned to the campaign trail on Friday, Graham Platner took a moment to indirectly address new allegations of “toxic” and “unsettling” behavior three women from his past relationships leveled against him.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.At the same time, hundreds of supporters signaled to Platner that they were still with him, despite a torrent of negative attention.They gave him several standing ovations and at one point chanted the name of his wife, Amy Gertner, when he singled her out for support.

In his remarks, the Democratic Senate candidate spoke of Maine as a state that has given him personal strength to build himself back from the brink.“Since the beginning, Maine, you had my back.

When hurtful things I said on the Internet a decade ago came out into the public as I shared my personal journey through PTSD and darkness of recovery and accountability and growth — Maine had my back,” he said to cheers.Platner then more specifically referenced the New York Times article on Thursday that detailed the allegations from his former girlfriends, saying that as “every single piece of that past and journey gets dug up, litigated, and weaponized, you have my back.”While some of the women described positive experiences with Platner, three did not.One woman, Lyndsey Fifield, said that when she dated Platner between roughly 2013 and 2015, he once “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, telling her to remain there until she was ‘calm.’” Fifield has also worked for conservative groups and campaigns, which Platner seemed to reference when he said some of the allegations were “politically motivated” and were “false.” The former military veteran spoke of a journey he’s had overcoming PTSD after his military tours.

Graham Platner speaks at a campaign ...