{"id":2034,"date":"2026-06-08T04:35:15","date_gmt":"2026-06-08T04:35:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=2034"},"modified":"2026-06-08T04:35:15","modified_gmt":"2026-06-08T04:35:15","slug":"platner-holds-town-hall-in-portland-as-he-looks-to-steady-senate-campaign","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=2034","title":{"rendered":"Platner holds town hall in Portland as he looks to steady Senate campaign"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n
\n\n<\/span>AP<\/span>\u00a0\u2014\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/cite><\/div>\n

\n Graham Platner was met by an enthusiastic and supportive crowd Sunday at a town hall-style event in Maine as the Democrat moves to stabilize his Senate campaign after new reports about his past treatment of women.\n <\/p>

Read more The ultimate hostage negotiation: Why Iran talks are deadlocked<\/a><\/p>\n

\n The evening event in Portland was taking place two days before a Democratic primary that is still seen as Platner\u2019s to win, but he has drawn questions about his past that could make it difficult to defeat longtime incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cWe\u2019re going to win on Tuesday and we\u2019re going to win in November and we\u2019re going to take power back for the people in this country,\u201d Platner said to about 400 people clapping and cheering him on.\n <\/p>\n

\nThe New York Times on Thursday reported an ex-girlfriend\u2019s allegations that Platner repeatedly grabbed her by the shoulders during arguments and once twisted her arm behind her back and locked her in a room. Platner has repeatedly called those allegations of violence untrue.\n <\/p>\n

\n Other Platner ex-girlfriends interviewed by the Times described positive experiences, while some said he was volatile and insulting. That story came days after news reports revealing that Platner had exchanged sexually explicit messages with several women while married.\n <\/p>\n

\n Despite the allegations, no major Democrats who had previously endorsed Platner have rescinded their support.\n <\/p>\n

\n
\n\n Related article\n <\/span>\n<\/header>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n\n
\n
\"Graham<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n
\n
\nGraham Platner speaks at an event in Orono, Maine on May 24.<\/span>\n<\/div>\n
Robert F. Bukaty\/AP<\/figcaption>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n

\n\u2018What else do we have?\u2019 Maine Democrats signal they\u2019ll stick with Graham Platner, some with regret<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

7 min read<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n

\n And at Sunday\u2019s event, in their initial questions the attendees avoided asking about Platner\u2019s past and instead asked him about the US Supreme Court, what committees he would want to work on once in the Senate, and whether he supports a federal wealth tax.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cWhat has blown my mind is that everybody knows what\u2019s going on,\u201d Platner said in response to a question about what outsiders watching the Maine Senate race are getting wrong about the state\u2019s voters.\n <\/p>\n

\n Platner said he hoped eventually to join the Senate Appropriations Committee, as well as the committees overseeing agriculture and healthcare, while mentioning he would like to work with Kentucky\u2019s Republican Sen. Rand Paul because of his foreign policy positions.\n <\/p>\n

\n The latest news has deepened some Democrats\u2019 nervousness about Platner, who already faced scrutiny over online posts that were dismissive of sexual assault and a skull tattoo recognized as a Nazi symbol. Platner has apologized for the posts and covered up the tattoo, saying he didn\u2019t realize its significance when he got it.\n <\/p>

Read more Lawsuit aims to stop UFC fight at the White House<\/a><\/p>\n

\n Platner took a swipe at Sen. John Fetterman, who has criticized the Senate candidate recently, calling Platner a \u201ccreep\u201d and likening him to a \u201cNazi sympathizer.\u201d Some have questioned whether Platner would be similar to Fetterman, who has a reputation for speaking and voting against his party,\n <\/p>\n

\n
\n\n
\n
\"Graham<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n
\n
\nGraham Platner, Democratic candidate for US Senate, acknowledges applause at a campaign event Sunday, in Portland, Maine.<\/span>\n<\/div>\n
Robert F. Bukaty\/AP<\/figcaption>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n Platner said as a senator it\u2019s important to build relationships and that \u201cyou can\u2019t just go down there and be John Fetterman,\u201d while also calling the Pennsylvania Democrat an expletive. He added that Fetterman \u201csaid mean things\u201d about him recently.\n <\/p>\n

\n Platner held a rally with California Rep. Ro Khanna in Bar Harbor on Friday, where he received a standing ovation and declared that Mainers \u201chave my back.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n A combat veteran, Platner has repeatedly said that he struggled with alcohol and post traumatic stress disorder after his military service, but says he is a changed man.\n <\/p>\n

\n
\n\n
\"Graham<\/figure>\n\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n
\n
\nGraham Platner, Democratic candidate for US Senate, speaks to an overflow crowd Sunday.<\/span>\n<\/div>\n
Robert F. Bukaty\/AP<\/figcaption>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n Rahm Emanuel, a potential 2028 Democratic presidential candidate who spent the weekend in neighboring New Hampshire, said the \u201cjury is still out\u201d on whether Platner can beat Collins.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cEverybody is holding their breath whether this is the start of something or the end of something,\u201d he said. \u201cIf it\u2019s the end, that\u2019s one thing. If it\u2019s the beginning of something and we\u2019re not done, that\u2019s another thing.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n Kurt Fedora, 62, a mental health worker from Buxton, said he attended Sunday\u2019s event to hear Platner talk about working-class issues and fighting corruption. He said he\u2019s unmoved by recent revelations about Platner\u2019s history, and considers them a smear campaign by conservative opponents.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cMaybe there will be something to it, but they\u2019re really reaching far to try to pin something on him. And it\u2019s politics as usual,\u201d Fedora said.\n <\/p>\n

\n Others worried that Platner at times reminded them of President Donald Trump.\n <\/p>\n

\n Debbi Conley, a 69-year-old retiree from Gorham, said she wanted to learn more about Platner even as she\u2019s almost certain he\u2019ll win on Tuesday, but she\u2019s skeptical of him at the moment.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cI think people have been frustrated with Susan Collins, so they\u2019re looking for alternatives,\u201d Conley said. \u201cMy concerns with Graham Platner are that he\u2019s talking about change, but sometimes it reminds me of the same talk that Trump had like \u2018drain the swamp.\u2019\u201d\n <\/p>

Read more Can Marco Rubio convince Trump that a free Cuba is America First?<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Graham Platner was met by an enthusiastic and supportive crowd Sunday at a town hall-style event in Maine as the Democrat moves to stabilize his Senate campaign after new reports about his past treatment of women.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2028,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2034","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics"],"yoast_head":"\nPlatner holds town hall in Portland as he looks to steady Senate campaign - Relocation Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=2034\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Platner holds town hall in Portland as he looks to steady Senate campaign - Relocation Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Graham Platner was met by an enthusiastic and supportive crowd Sunday at a town hall-style event in Maine as the Democrat moves to stabilize his Senate campaign after new reports about his past treatment of women.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=2034\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Relocation Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-08T04:35:15+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/f0a0908ec2421df4e5044ba2d5e63236.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"256\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"144\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/?p=2034#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/?p=2034\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/3d25fb966f660ab012820a9e0acc09be\"},\"headline\":\"Platner holds town hall in Portland as he looks to steady Senate campaign\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-08T04:35:15+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/?p=2034\"},\"wordCount\":897,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/?p=2034#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/f2686cf2bbde8f842f1d5f579f513129.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Politics\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/?p=2034#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/?p=2034\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/?p=2034\",\"name\":\"Platner holds town hall in Portland as he looks to steady Senate campaign - Relocation Times\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/?p=2034#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/?p=2034#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/f2686cf2bbde8f842f1d5f579f513129.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-08T04:35:15+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/3d25fb966f660ab012820a9e0acc09be\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/?p=2034#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/?p=2034\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/?p=2034#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/f2686cf2bbde8f842f1d5f579f513129.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/f2686cf2bbde8f842f1d5f579f513129.jpg\",\"width\":800,\"height\":450},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/?p=2034#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Platner holds town hall in Portland as he looks to steady Senate campaign\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Relocation Times\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/3d25fb966f660ab012820a9e0acc09be\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Platner holds town hall in Portland as he looks to steady Senate campaign - Relocation Times","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=2034","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Platner holds town hall in Portland as he looks to steady Senate campaign - Relocation Times","og_description":"Graham Platner was met by an enthusiastic and supportive crowd Sunday at a town hall-style event in Maine as the Democrat moves to stabilize his Senate campaign after new reports about his past treatment of women.","og_url":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=2034","og_site_name":"Relocation Times","article_published_time":"2026-06-08T04:35:15+00:00","og_image":[{"width":256,"height":144,"url":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/f0a0908ec2421df4e5044ba2d5e63236.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=2034#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=2034"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/#\/schema\/person\/3d25fb966f660ab012820a9e0acc09be"},"headline":"Platner holds town hall in Portland as he looks to steady Senate campaign","datePublished":"2026-06-08T04:35:15+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=2034"},"wordCount":897,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=2034#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/f2686cf2bbde8f842f1d5f579f513129.jpg","articleSection":["Politics"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=2034#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=2034","url":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=2034","name":"Platner holds town hall in Portland as he looks to steady Senate campaign - Relocation Times","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=2034#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=2034#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/f2686cf2bbde8f842f1d5f579f513129.jpg","datePublished":"2026-06-08T04:35:15+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/#\/schema\/person\/3d25fb966f660ab012820a9e0acc09be"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=2034#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=2034"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=2034#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/f2686cf2bbde8f842f1d5f579f513129.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/f2686cf2bbde8f842f1d5f579f513129.jpg","width":800,"height":450},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=2034#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Platner holds town hall in Portland as he looks to steady Senate campaign"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/","name":"Relocation Times","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/#\/schema\/person\/3d25fb966f660ab012820a9e0acc09be","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/relocationtimess.com"],"url":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2034","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2034"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2034\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2028"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2034"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2034"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2034"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}