OGUNQUIT, Maine — Within days of the New York Times trawling through Maine Senate hopeful Graham Platner’s volatile past relationships, the campaign’s latest flyer, prominently displaying a supporter waving a “Women for Graham” sign, arrived in voters’ mailboxes.
Platner had been coasting to a win in Tuesday’s primary, with his opponent for the Democratic nomination, Maine Gov. Janet Mills (D) seemingly having thrown in the towel.
A raft of allegations by former girlfriends has upended the campaign, with polls showing Platner’s lead over the Republican incumbent Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) plunging.
There has been little respite in recent days with controversy still swirling over former girlfriend Lyndsey Fifield’s graphic account of their relationship, including allegations he could be physically aggressive — allegations Platner denied.
For a sparsely populated state with only four votes in the Electoral College, Maine punches above its weight politically, which is reflected in the $300 million spent already by the campaigns and dark money Political Action Committees.
Speaking to voters over the weekend from the picturesque resort town of Ogunquit, the Washington Examiner found an air of unease among some, in one case downright hostility, and in others defiant support.
One unlikely beneficiary could be the Chuck Schumer-backed Mills, who “unsuspended” her campaign last week and will be on the ballot on Tuesday.
She will get the vote of Kevin Flaherty, the first mate on The Gift, a sailing boat which offers pleasure trips to tourists in the coastal resort of Ogunquit
“I am voting for Janet Mills; people don’t remember she is still on the ballot,” he said.
“This Graham guy, to me, he looks like a white supremacist with a Democratic sign on top of his head, and I like Janet; she’s proving herself, and I’m with her.”
Steve Perkins, The Gift’s skipper, remained firmly on Team Platner, contrasting the treatment he had received with as he saw it, the free pass given to President Donald Trump.
“A Democrat has a portion of their life where they made a mistake, then they’re completely knocked out of it. That’s ridiculous.”
Democratic unease was reflected by Julian Rogers, a party activist, who fears there will be more allegations should Platner make it through Tuesday’s primary.
“The latest revelations about his sexting and the old girlfriend stories have me a bit rattled. Not because I want him to lose the primary, but I am deeply concerned about what opposition research will uncover as we approach the general.
“The sexting thing is what really worries me if the texts themselves will be revealed and the women he interacted with start talking. There is so much at stake in this election and the fact that we must remove Susan Collins.
“I’m worried but hopeful. I am also disappointed in the schism it has caused among my fellow Democrats. I’m not sure how many of those insisting on purity vs. those willing to dismiss it all and the arguments that have surfaced, have taken note of how that schism can affect down ballot races because the fighting is so public.”
He believes the revelations could see a late surge in support for Mills.
“Technically, I don’t believe she really has a chance, but she will get a lot of votes from people who are not Platner supporters.”
“There are people who I think really wanted her to be the nominee, and they will have a hard, hard time separating themselves from the fact that she is now still on the ballot and that he has had a number of issues come up that have really unsellable.”
But even in a town, a resort with a strong artistic tradition which leans heavily Democratic, Platner has some fierce critics.
Rick Dolliver, a lobsterman who also runs a popular bar in the town, gave a withering verdict on the Democratic hopeful.
“Graham Platner has a long history of hatred, bigotry and dishonesty. He’s lied about his upbringing. He’s lied about school history. He’s lied about his finances. He’s lied about his relationships,” he told the Washington Examiner.
“He claims PTSD, it might really be a serious mental disorder about telling the truth and being honest. Is that someone you want to represent you in Washington? Is this someone you want your kids to look up to?
“The way he’s treated women and then turns it around and blames them for other people’s actions.
“He should come clean and drop from the race immediately. You may not love every vote Susan Collins has made or supported, but for 10,000 consecutive votes, she’s told the truth and has nothing to hide or be ashamed of.”
Grant Hubbard, another lobsterman, was ready to cut Platner some slack.
“He’s a pretty decent guy with a few rough edges, but don’t they all? Certainly better than what we have now.”
And Amy Kelly, who runs an art gallery, praised his willingness to take responsibility for his past behavior.
“I think that he has shared his remorse on his old mistakes, and as well as his coming out of mistakes recently,” she said.
“I do believe that I am a 12-stepper, and I do believe that he’s repented enough, and he will be a great candidate for senator for the state of Maine. I do believe that the good people will shine through and the unwell people will not shine through.”
Artist Meredith Reynolds believed Platner’s past paled into insignificance when compared with his opponents.
“When you consider the people who is running against in the fact that they’ve been funding a genocide — that’s just way more offensive to me, so his personal problems affects how I view as a person, but it’s not going to affect how I view this race in terms of his opposition.”
“When you consider the people who is running against in the fact that they’ve been funding a genocide that’s just way more offensive to me so his personal problems affects how I view as a person but it’s not going to affect how I view this race in terms of his opposition.” (David Millward)
Erin Gott, the harbormaster, seemed weary about the entire business.
“I get the headlines of the different scandals and the things that he’s been wrapped up in with; I know that there are people that I respect that seem to support him, so I have some interest in knowing more.
“But I’m so tired of scandals in general between the administration we have now federally. I’d like to ideally have someone in all forms of power that we just kind of seen with a sound head on their shoulders.
James Melcher, professor of political science at the University of Maine Farmington, believes the sexting scandal will do some damage to the Platner campaign.
“He’s always been able to convince his supporters, and say ‘hey, I served our country, it left me with PTSD, I wrote a lot of things that were part of my sorting out of that process.’
GRAHAM PLATNER FIRES BACK AT FETTERMAN: ‘IT’S NOT THE HOODIE, DUDE’
“And I think a lot of his supporters said, well, yeah, we have sympathy for him for that. We can forgive those things. That’s not who he is now.
“I think that because these are things that have come out about his behavior so much recently, both the sexting and the New York Times article, I think that has the potential to gnaw at that.”