Genevieve McDonald, who served as Graham Platner’s political director, said she left his campaign after developing concerns about his honesty and later rejected a proposed nondisclosure agreement.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Graham Platner is expected to win Maine’s Democratic Senate primary despite a series of damaging headlines, public accusations from former romantic partners and a warning from his former political director that voters should not support him.
Genevieve McDonald, who previously served as political director for Platner’s Senate campaign, said in an open letter published by The Washington Post that she quit the campaign in October after becoming “disturbed” by what she had learned about the candidate.
“As Tuesday’s primary arrives, I want to make clear what transpired since August and why my concerns have only grown,” McDonald wrote.
McDonald’s letter came as Platner, a 41-year-old oyster farmer and Marine veteran, remained the presumptive Democratic nominee to challenge Republican Sen. Susan Collins. His main Democratic rival, Maine Gov. Janet Mills, suspended her campaign in April after donor support faded, effectively leaving Platner without a major active challenger.
Mills remains on the ballot and can still receive votes, but political attention has shifted largely to the general election. The RealClearPolitics average showed Platner leading Collins by 7.4 points.
McDonald cited recent allegations from multiple women who described past relationships with Platner as volatile and “toxic.” The women described him as charming and charismatic, while also alleging he was demeaning toward women.
Platner has denied allegations of physical intimidation and abuse. He has acknowledged that he was not a perfect boyfriend and said he drank too much when he was younger.
McDonald also addressed controversy over a tattoo Platner had on his chest. The tattoo depicted a Totenkopf, a skull-and-crossbones emblem associated with Nazi SS units, according to reporting on the controversial tattoo. McDonald wrote that Platner told her the tattoo was a “military thing.” Platner has said publicly that he did not know the meaning of the image when he got it.
McDonald said her doubts about Platner’s honesty grew over time. After she left the campaign, she said, the campaign offered her $15,000 to sign a nondisclosure agreement. She refused. McDonald said the campaign later attacked her personally and that women had since contacted her with “disturbing stories” about Platner.
John Miles Coleman, associate editor of the University of Virginia’s Sabato’s Crystal Ball, told Just the News on Monday that the odds of Platner losing the primary appeared negligible.
If Platner wins the nomination, Coleman said, any question about whether he leaves the race or is replaced on the general election ballot would largely depend on Platner himself. The issue has drawn new scrutiny amid reports about his alleged “toxic behavior” in past relationships and previously unearthed sexually explicit social media posts.
Coleman said Mills could still file as a write-in candidate before an August deadline, but he described that as unlikely given the “prodding that was needed to get her to run in the first place.” He also noted that Maine’s ranked-choice voting system would reduce the effect of any potential “spoiler” candidate.
The allegations surrounding Platner include claims that he sent sexually explicit messages to multiple women while married. Three former girlfriends have described him as anti-women and called his behavior “unsettling,” according to recent reporting.
One former girlfriend, Lyndsey Fifield, told The New York Times that Platner knew one of his tattoos resembled a Nazi symbol. Fifield said the tattoo was a Totenkopf, referring to the skull-and-crossbones image used by Nazi Schutzstaffel units during World War II.
Fifield also told The Times that Platner would regularly grab her by the shoulders, sometimes leaving marks, and that during an argument he twisted her arm behind her back and trapped her in a bedroom.
Platner said the allegations were untrue. He has also said he was unaware that the skull-and-crossbones chest tattoo he got in 2007 resembled Nazi imagery and that he covered it up in 2025 after public scrutiny.
In a recent CNN interview, Platner said he had been going through “a very dark period of [his] life” during the relationships, citing undiagnosed PTSD. He said he often self-medicated with alcohol and was a “far from perfect boyfriend.”
“I’m not proud of who I was then, but I am proud of the work I’ve done since, and the movement we are building in Maine,” Platner said.
National Democrats still appear to be supporting his campaign, though they have reportedly sought assurances that no additional damaging revelations will emerge.
Doug Schoen, a pollster, political strategist and former Clinton adviser, told Just the News that he views Platner as a “simply unacceptable” candidate because of what he described as Platner’s far-left and extremist politics, the tattoo, “his apparent lack of candor about the tattoo,” his personal life and other issues.
Schoen said some polls he has seen show Platner losing ground in Maine. He said Democrats should encourage Platner to withdraw and have Mills run instead, though he does not believe Platner will leave the race.
Despite national scrutiny, Platner continues to receive support from some Maine voters and groups.
“He’s just Maine. He sounds like Maine,” Keith Tharp, a photographer from Mount Desert, told The Nation. “When he’s talking, he comes across as a Mainer. So, we want to hear what he has to say.”
Erin Oberson, a co-president of the Maine State Nurses Association/National Nurses United, which has endorsed Platner, told The Nation that Platner is “a candidate who will represent the working class.” She also pointed to his support for Medicare for All, rural hospitals, strong unions, pay equity, taxing the wealthy and opposing oligarchy.
Mills has not officially endorsed Platner, though before suspending her campaign she suggested she would support the eventual Democratic nominee.
Maine Democrat Adam Cote, who has not endorsed anyone in the Senate race and ran against Mills in the 2018 gubernatorial primary, said Tuesday’s results could show whether Democratic voters are uneasy about Platner. If Mills receives more votes than expected for a candidate who has suspended her campaign, Cote said, it would be “a sign that there’s a lot of protest and angst within the primary voters.”
Original article
Comments