Faith Griffith was devastated when she learned Monday that Democratic U.S. Senate nominee Graham Platner had been accused of sexual assault.
Griffith has spent the time since thinking about the allegations and more broadly about Platner as a candidate. Although Platner had weathered previous controversies, she found the most recent one far more concerning. She once thought he could beat U.S. Sen. Susan Collins in November, but this allegation may mean he doesn’t have a chance, she said.
Yet Griffith said she’s still “in a quandary.” While she doesn’t want to dismiss the allegation, Platner is charismatic, passionate and brings policies that can help Mainers, things she wants to support, she said.
“If he stays on the ballot, I’ll have to vote for him,” the 77-year-old retiree said.
Griffith, who lives in Bangor, is one of a dwindling number of Mainers who have continued to stake a Platner for U.S. Senate sign in their yard. His signs have disappeared from many yards and porches in the Tree Streets, Little City and Fairmount neighborhoods. Several said they want Platner to stay in the race and implored others to stick with him.
They are cutting against leaders of their party. Both the Maine Democratic Party and the national party disavowed Platner and called on him to leave the race following a Politico report in which an ex-girlfriend accused Platner of raping her in 2021. The candidate denied it and has until Monday to leave the race and allow Democrats to pick a replacement.
Bangor residents who planned to vote for Platner said Wednesday they were shocked that the candidate they had thrown their support behind is the subject of such a serious allegation after other controversies, including the October disclosure of offensive Reddit posts and a tattoo of a Nazi-linked symbol.
Many in the city seemed unable to think about supporting any other candidate than the progressive oyster farmer from Sullivan. All five Bangor residents that the Bangor Daily News spoke with Wednesday drew similarities between supporting Platner and President Donald Trump, who has also faced allegations of sexual assault.
When asked if it was hypocritical to support Platner but say Trump should not be elected because of similar allegations, Griffith said she is “sometimes hypocritical.”
Sandra Campbell, 70, said there’s nothing that could come forward to stop her support of Platner because he is a passionate speaker and has political ideals that align with hers.
“If he’s not on the ballot, I’d write him in,” she said.
When asked about the most recent allegation, Campbell said she questioned the timing of Platner’s former partner coming forward, saying it seemed politically motivated. Two other supporters, Niall McGarvey and Jeff Lancaster, also questioned why the accusation was brought forward now.
Campbell, Lancaster and McGarvey all used the phrase “innocent until proven guilty” to explain why they were questioning what was exposed. McGarvey said his neighbors should put their signs back in their yard and “hold their ground” so Maine can elect a candidate who can create change.
“Is there no room for redemption in the U.S. anymore?” McGarvey asked, adding that if the allegations are true, he would “have all sorts of empathy” for the victim.
Elizabeth Caruson, who had a Platner sign in her yard Wednesday morning but pulled it out of the ground when a reporter asked about it. She said won’t support the candidate anymore following the new allegation.
Caruson, 35, wants a representative with political ideals like Platner’s and supported him through previous controversies because of how he explained what happened but won’t now. But when asked if she would still vote for Platner if he was on the November ballot, Caruson paused to think about it before answering.
“That’s really hard,” she said. “Well, if I flip [my decision to not support him], it’s the same thing as supporting Trump.”