‘What else do we have?’ Maine Democrats signal they’ll stick with Graham Platner, some with regret

Portland, Maine (CNN) — Graham Platner is still likely to win Maine’s Democratic Senate nomination in Tuesday’s primary — but some voters in the state who once were excited by his campaign now say they’ll hold their noses while casting their ballots after a series of negative reports about his personal behavior.

Speaking to CNN in Portland, Maine, Sandra Braden said she doesn’t have “a lot of faith” Platner has changed as he says he has, nor does she believe his assertion that he didn’t know the origins of a tattoo with Nazi-linked iconography that he’s since had covered.

Still, Braden said, she’ll take a chance on Platner “if he votes the way I want him to and he can defeat Susan Collins.”

“I’m going to vote for him, yeah, but I don’t like it. I’m not in favor of all that s**t,” she said.

Platner, the Marine Corps veteran and oyster farmer whose populist campaign drew widespread notice among Democrats but has been rocked by a series of scandals in recent months, is still likely to secure the nomination Tuesday. He’s repeatedly said he won’t drop out and already boxed out Gov. Janet Mills of Maine, a top party recruit who suspended her campaign but remains on the ballot.

The latest blow to Platner’s campaign came in a New York Times story published Thursday in which three of Platner’s ex-girlfriends described volatile and “toxic” relationships, including allegations of heavy drinking, infidelity, demeaning behavior toward women and, in one account, physical intimidation.

Platner “strongly disputes” any claims of physical intimidation or altercations, his campaign said. And he has denied knowing about the origins of the tattoo before he entered the race last fall.

Platner addressed the controversies Friday night during a rally in Bar Harbor alongside progressive California Rep. Ro Khanna and two other Democratic candidates on Tuesday’s primary ballot.

“As every single piece of that past and journey gets dug up, litigated, and weaponized, you have my back,” he said. “And when politically motivated, serious, and false accusations are made against me, Maine, you have my back. The state of Maine raised me, and the state of Maine saved me. And to all of you out there, Maine, I will always have your back.”

Khanna also defended Platner on Friday night, telling hundreds of attendees at the rally on the Maine coast that “we need to be honest: Most of us have not lived perfect lives.”

“No one should make excuses for his past relationships, some of which were toxic and volatile, and no one on our side should attack the women who came forward,” Khanna said.

But, he said, Platner was “ashamed of some of the things he said and did, and then he, unlike others, took accountability for it, and he’s worked to be a better man, a better human being.”

He also chalked Platner’s actions up to his three combat tours in Iraq.

“We broke thousands of young men by sending them into dumb wars, sending away their factory jobs. We did that as a country,” Khanna said. “That’s not an excuse, it’s the truth.”

Platner is also set to hold a town hall Sunday in Portland, and — in a sign he is already planning past the primary — his campaign scheduled a virtual town hall next Wednesday.

The race against five-term Republican Sen. Susan Collins in Maine is critical to Democrats’ chances of flipping four GOP-held seats and winning a Senate majority in November.

Another Maine voter, Woody Hayward, told CNN that Maine needs “fresh blood” representing the state in the Senate. Hayward said reports about Platner’s tattoo of a Nazi symbol and other controversies are “troublesome” and “disheartening for sure.”

“But what else – what else do we have, right?” he asked.

Zoo Cain was “not really interested in the guy’s foibles,” and has seen Platner speak and is interested in his vision.

“He’s got some baggage,” Cain said. “But way less baggage than the oligarchy, as far as I can tell.”

Where Janet Mills stands

Platner said Thursday he had not considered ending his campaign.

“It has never crossed our mind to drop out of this thing,” Platner said in an interview with MS NOW, referring to him and his wife, Amy. “I am fully committed to this till the end.”

National Democrats may have limited influence to push him out of the race anyway. After all, Mills suspended her Senate bid after being a prized recruit to challenge Collins.

Mills is still on next Tuesday’s ballot. Earlier Friday, a source close to her told CNN she is getting encouragement to reenter the state’s Senate primary.

“The Governor remains on the ballot, and in the wake of this week’s stories, people across Maine are reaching out to tell her they’re voting for her and encouraging her to get fully back into the race,” the source said.

The source did not say whether Mills has decided to resume active campaigning, weeks after she suspended her bid amid struggles with fundraising and with Platner holding a dominant lead in polls. But the statement is the second time in a week that Mills has signaled that she remains on the ballot as an alternative to Platner, after an interview with the Portland Press-Herald.

A former Mills supporter, ex-state Sen. Lynn Bromley, told CNN after the Times story was published that she still expected Platner to win the primary but hoped he would drop out afterward and let the state party identify a replacement nominee.

“If she came up with 20% with a suspended campaign, that says a lot,” Bromley said, referring to Mills.

During an MS NOW interview Thursday night, Platner bristled slightly at the prospect of Mills regaining support. Asked about her reminder that she is still on the ballot, he called it “a bit of opportunism.”

Beth Dindas, a Maine Democratic voter, told CNN that Platner lost her when he denied knowing about the origins of his tattoo. She said Platner now “has no credibility whatsoever.”

She added that she supports Mills “all the way.”

“I think that ultimately, unfortunately, we’re going to lose this race again and we’re going to have six more years of Susan Collins, who has let down the people of Maine time after time,” Dindas said.

Another Democratic voter in Portland, Bonnie Depp, acknowledged that Platner has “made some stupid comments,” but that she believes his claims that he did not know his tattoo was a Nazi symbol. She said he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder after his time in the military and deserves a break.

As for Mills, Depp said: “I think she was a wonderful governor – I voted for her both times, I respected many things that she did. But it’s time for newer blood and as a boomer, I can say that.”

“I got until Tuesday to decide, but I’m pretty sure I’ll vote for him. I don’t think a lot of this crap is anybody else’s business,” Depp said.

Some Democrats hold him at arm’s length

The chatter about Mills comes as some Democrats who previously indicated support for Platner sought to keep him at arm’s length ahead of Tuesday’s primary.

After Mills dropped out, a leading contender for the state’s battleground 2nd Congressional District, state Sen. Joe Baldacci, said he “look[ed] forward to working with [Platner] in Washington.” Asked about Platner on Friday, a top adviser to Baldacci’s campaign, Jared Bornstein, said in a statement that Baldacci “is focused on finishing the primary strong and defeating Paul LePage,” the presumptive GOP nominee.

Another candidate for the 2nd District, Matt Dunlap, called on Democrats to unify behind Platner after Mills dropped out and was set to attend Khanna’s rally with Platner.

Democrats outside Maine are talking about Mills, too.

Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman said voters should get behind Mills in the primary.

“I think what’s time is for Maine voters to take a look at the sitting governor, an honorable woman, and that is a committed Democrat that’s already won statewide,” the Pennsylvania Democrat told CNN’s Manu Raju on Thursday.

This story has been updated with additional details.

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