After Democrats rushed to excuse Graham Platner following The New York Times’ exposé alleging his mistreatment and abuse of women, his former girlfriends and political director are speaking out with further damning details in The Free Press.
- Jenny Racicot, a lifelong Democrat from Maine and former girlfriend of Platner:
- “[T]here’s a side of him that I had an experience with that caused me to cut off all contact and to not support him as a person,” she said. “It was eating me alive to see somebody that I know to be one way publicly portray themselves a different way.”
- “I have seen many people around me who loudly supported the ‘believe women’ movement now having to ignore and make excuses for Graham’s behavior.”
- Lyndsey Fifield, a former girlfriend of Platner:
- “[I]n Fifield’s words, ‘disgusting’ . . . What kind of person says, ‘I’m going to donate to a candidate because he’s facing accusations of violence, like that’s my guy that I want to stand behind?’ Fifield asked.”
- Genevieve McDonald, Platner’s former political director:
- “[T]he Platner campaign was keenly focused on damage control. At one point, she said campaign staffers discussed how to get the politician to stop fighting with volunteers in his campaign’s Discord channel (Platner used a pseudonym).”
- “‘He called her his ex-girlfriend, and bragged about the fact that he was so well-liked by Republicans that his ex-girlfriend was one,’ McDonald said. ‘I stored her name away.’”
“These candid accounts reveal a dangerous individual determined to manipulate those closest to him. Democrats who built their brand on ‘believe all women’ have taken hypocrisy to new heights by excusing Platner’s abusive behavior,” said NRSC National Press Secretary Bernadette Breslin.