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Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner has postponed a string of events Sunday and Monday as rumors circulate among Maine Democrats and over social media about another potentially damaging story to come about the oyster farmer’s past.
Platner postponed a planned town hall in Augusta on Sunday after reportedly missing a Fourth of July parade in Machias. The Gorham Democrats on Monday morning said a town hall set for Monday was postponed because Platner was “not feeling well.” And a Sanford town hall previously listed on Mobilize was later taken down.
The Platner campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the events. The postponements came as multiple Democrats told the Bangor Daily News they expected a national outlet to drop a story about Platner Monday or Tuesday. Rumors about potentially damaging stories on the progressive candidate increasingly swirled online Sunday night and Monday, just as they did before the New York Times published a story last month featuring a few ex-girlfriends of Platner’s alleging toxic behavior. He denied ever being physically violent in a relationship.
The prediction market Kalshi showed the odds of Platner dropping out rising to more than 9% from 2% Monday morning.
Platner weathered a series of controversies in the fall and effectively booted primary opponent Gov. Janet Mills from the race in late April. He won more than 70% of the vote on June 9, including a record vote total in a Democratic primary, to become the nominee to face Republican Sen. Susan Collins. Democrats’ strong primary turnout in what’s expected to be a tough year for President Donald Trump’s Republican Party has helped rally both progressives and an increasing number of mainstream Democrats around his push to oust the five-term Collins.
Still, Republicans and some concerned Maine Democrats have said Platner’s past controversies, including explicit messages sent to multiple women early in his marriage, a Nazi-linked tattoo he’s since covered and offensive remarks made on social media, could hurt him with voters he needs to beat Collins. He told Democratic senators earlier this year, including several who’ve backed him such as Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, that no credible allegations of sexual assault loomed over his campaign.
His supporters have shrugged off concerns and media attention, saying they care more about Platner’s message on affordability and targeting corporate power in politics than his personal life. And he has aggressively targeted Collins, highlighting links with Trump’s agenda and alleging she is part of a corrupt system in Washington that benefits billionaires, not working families.
Platner in June said that “not once” has he considered dropping out of the race, despite knowing he and his wife, Amy Gertner, “were going to take lumps.”
“We’re dedicated to this, and it has never crossed our mind to drop out of this thing,” he told MS NOW.
