Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner is facing a new allegation from a former girlfriend, adding to the growing controversy around his campaign. The latest claim comes just days after another woman accused him of sexual assault, allegations he has denied.
Platner’s ex, Lyndsey Fifield, has claimed that he repeatedly removed condoms during sex without her consent.
Fifield, who said she dated Platner in Washington, DC from 2013 to 2015, told The Washington Post that she had asked him several times to wear condoms because she was not using birth control. Fifield has also previously accused Platner of physically abusing her.
“He would pull condoms off,” she said in an interview. “He would do it in a sneaky way. He wouldn’t tell me.”
Fifield who is 41, has estimated that Platner removed condoms without her consent at least six times when they had sex at both of their residences in DC during their two-year, on-and-off relationship.
“I confronted him both during and after [sex] because he knew that I was not on birth control and how dangerous that was,” she told The Post.
In another interview, she said: “He would act like cute about it, like ‘Oh sneaky me.’”
In a statement responding to Fifield’s allegation, Platner’s campaign called the claim “categorically false and politically motivated,” and noted that Fifield had supported now-Supreme Court Justice Brett M Kavanaugh when he was accused of sexual assault before his confirmation, as per The Washington Post.
Fifield is the second woman to allege this week that Platner engaged in nonconsensual sexual conduct. Removing a condom during sex without consent, known as “stealthing,” is classified as a form of sexual assault in several countries, including Britain, Canada and parts of Australia.
In the United States, Maine, California and Washington state have laws that address the nonconsensual removal of condoms during sex.
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What is the first allegation against Platner?
Jenny Racicot who is 41, has said that she previously dated Platner and he sexually assaulted her in late 2021.
According to Politico, Racicot accused Platner of entering her home without permission while drunk in late 2021 and forcing himself on her. She said they had met through a dating app in 2019 and had previously been in a consensual relationship before the alleged assault.
Platner called the accusation “troubling, serious and false,” adding, “Any accusation of non-consensual behavior is categorically false,” as per Politico.
His campaign went further, calling the allegations “coached and coordinated by out of state establishment operatives,” and said, “For a year, opponents of this campaign have thrown everything they can at Graham –– calling him a Nazi, a war criminal, and a communist. None of it has been true and this is no different.”
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Political support slips after allegations
The growing allegations have led a number of allies to drop their endorsements and call on Platner to withdraw from the race for a Maine seat in the US.
One of them was, senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont has posted on X on July 7 that, “I have spoken with Graham Platner about the best path forward for Maine. In light of these very serious allegations, I have recommended that he step aside.”
Rep Ro Khanna of California, who had campaigned with Platner earlier, pulled his endorsement Monday. “I’ve been very clear that sexual assault or violence against women is a red line. These allegations are very serious and credible,” he said, as per The New York Times. “Graham Platner should drop out from the race. I am withdrawing my endorsement.”
Sen Ruben Gallego of Arizona also rescinded his endorsement, calling the allegations “troubling and deeply serious”.
Platner has until July 13 to withdraw from the race, and if he does, the Maine Democratic Party has until July 27 to replace him on the ticket, according to Maine law.
