Second Accuser Goes On the Record as Maine Democrats Lock Platner Out of His Own Succession

Republicans ready an $8 million blitz against a nominee who doesn't exist yet.

Lyndsey Fifield went on the record with the Washington Post at 10:20 Tuesday night: Graham Platner, she said, removed condoms during sex without her consent — at least six times across their two-year relationship in Washington — while he knew she wasn't on birth control. "He would do it in a sneaky way. He wouldn't tell me." Her friend Emily Zanotti confirmed Fifield told her at the time. Platner's campaign called the allegation "categorically false and politically motivated," noting Fifield's conservative politics and her past defense of Brett Kavanaugh.

Fifield is the second woman in 48 hours. Jenny Racicot told the Post on Monday that Platner sexually assaulted her in late 2021. By Tuesday night the endorsements had collapsed: Bernie Sanders — who spoke with Platner personally — Schumer, Gillibrand, Warren, Gallego, Mamdani, and the veterans' organizations that built his brand. Stephen King defended him, then deleted the tweet.