A former girlfriend of Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner told The Washington Post that Platner removed condoms without her consent during sex on at least six occasions, the latest in a growing series of allegations that have prompted senior Democrats to call on him to leave the race.
Lyndsey Fifield, who dated Platner on and off for two years, said the incidents took place at their homes in Washington, D.C. Her decision to speak publicly came one day after another woman, Jenny Racicot, alleged that Platner sexually assaulted her in 2021.
Platner's campaign called Fifield's allegation "categorically false and politically motivated." But the denial has done little to stop the fallout. Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, both early backers of Platner's candidacy, have called on him to withdraw from the race. Platner, for his part, said only that he was "taking the time to reflect on the best path forward."
Fifield's account, first reported publicly by Newsmax, is specific. She said Platner secretly removed condoms during sex and did not tell her.
"He would pull condoms off. He would do it in a sneaky way. He wouldn't tell me."
She said she confronted Platner about the behavior both during and after sex, noting that she was not on birth control and that his actions put her at risk.
"I confronted him both during and after [sex] because he knew that I was not on birth control and how dangerous that was. He would act like cute about it, like 'Oh, sneaky me.'"
Fifield told the Post she had previously given the paper an off-the-record interview about the condom removal roughly a month before going public. She said she decided to speak on the record after Racicot came forward, so that Racicot would not stand alone.
Fifield's condom allegation is not her first accusation against Platner. She previously told The New York Times that Platner grabbed her shoulders and her wrist and twisted her arm behind her back. Platner denied those allegations at the time.
The mounting allegations from ex-girlfriends have shadowed Platner's campaign for weeks. Racicot's sexual assault allegation, made the day before Fifield went public, added a second accuser to the record and intensified pressure on Platner to exit.
Racicot told Politico that Platner forced himself on her sexually in late June 2021 despite her repeated objections. National Review reported that Racicot described a specific moment of realization during the encounter.
"I remember him grabbing my pelvis and being really forceful of me. I remember the specific moment where I thought to myself, like, This is no longer my choice."
Platner denied Racicot's allegation as well.
Beyond the allegations themselves, Fifield has raised pointed questions about how major media outlets handled her story. She accused The New York Times of deliberately downplaying her abuse claims by contacting only two of the five witnesses she provided, both of whom could confirm the relationship but not the abuse itself.
Fifield said she gave the Times screenshots of text messages about Platner "stalking our row house," diary entries, and a list of additional witnesses including an ex-fiancé and a priest. She said the paper failed to pursue those leads.
"They simply did not call the other three."
That accusation raises an uncomfortable question for the Times: Did the paper's reporting choices soften the picture of a Democratic candidate at a moment when the full scope of the allegations might have changed the trajectory of the race? Fifield's characterization of the Times's approach was blunt. She called the downplaying deliberate, "by design," in her words.
The allegation is worth weighing carefully. If Fifield provided corroborating witnesses and documentary evidence that the Times did not pursue, voters in Maine were left with an incomplete picture of the man their party nominated. The deepening Democratic divide over Platner suggests that even his own party's leadership now recognizes the severity of what has been alleged.
Sanders and Warren both endorsed Platner early in his campaign. Now both want him gone. Their reversal is notable, not because politicians never change course, but because it raises the question of what due diligence, if any, the party conducted before elevating Platner as its standard-bearer in a high-profile Senate race.
Platner entered the race aiming to unseat Sen. Susan Collins, the Republican incumbent. Collins has been described in some quarters as one of the more vulnerable Republicans up for reelection this cycle. Democrats saw the seat as a pickup opportunity. Instead, they now face a candidate engulfed in misconduct allegations from multiple women.
Earlier reporting revealed that Platner also faced allegations of sexually explicit texts sent to multiple women, adding yet another layer to a candidacy that has become a liability for Democrats at every level.
At least one Democratic lawmaker went further than calling for withdrawal. Rep. Dean said Platner had "disqualified himself" from the race, a judgment that reflected the growing consensus within the party that no path forward existed for the candidate.
Platner's campaign has offered a two-word substantive defense: "categorically false." It added that the allegations were "politically motivated", a characterization that shifts attention from the substance of the claims to the supposed motives of the accusers.
That framing has limits. Fifield's account is detailed. She described specific conduct, specific confrontations, and a specific dismissive response from Platner. She provided documentary evidence and witness names to at least one major outlet. Racicot's allegation is similarly specific in its description of a discrete incident.
Platner has not explained why multiple women, across different time periods, would fabricate detailed accounts of misconduct. His statement that he was reflecting on "the best path forward" was made in response to Racicot's allegation, and it remains unclear whether he has issued any further public comment since Fifield went on the record.
Several questions hang over this story. No criminal charges have been filed in connection with any of the allegations. It is unclear whether any law enforcement investigation is underway. The legal status of non-consensual condom removal varies by jurisdiction, though several states have moved to classify it as a form of sexual assault in recent years.
It is also unclear whether Platner intends to remain in the race or heed the calls from Sanders, Warren, and others to step aside. His "reflect" statement left the door open in both directions.
And the question Fifield raised about The New York Times's reporting choices deserves an answer. If a newsroom received corroborating evidence and witness lists and chose not to pursue them, voters deserve to know why, especially when the subject is a candidate for the United States Senate.
Democrats built this problem themselves. They recruited the candidate, endorsed him early, and now find themselves asking him to leave. The women who came forward deserve to be heard. The voters of Maine deserve a party that vets its nominees before it has to disown them.