SULLIVAN, Maine — Graham Platner is back among the oyster beds, trading the spotlight of socialist political stardom for the demanding routine of working on Maine’s coast after allegations of rape and sexual misconduct brought his Senate campaign to an abrupt end.
“Who the f–k are you weirdos?” Platner asked when The Post approached him a week before the midterm election.
He had just paddled ashore in a kayak, leaving his boat anchored offshore.
Asked what he was doing as his former replacement, state Sen. Troy Jackson, battled Republican Sen. Susan Collins in a closely watched Maine race, Platner shot back: “What the f–k does it look like I’m up to? I’m being an oyster farmer.”
When The Post suggested that life along Maine’s scenic shoreline might be preferable to the relentless demands of campaigning for a spot in Washington, Platner offered little sentimentality.
“It just seems to be, like, life, man,” he said.
Asked how the oyster business had been going since he withdrew from the Senate contest in July amid multiple allegations of sexual assault and misconduct, Platner replied: “It goes the way it always goes, friend.”
“People from away have no idea what it is we do for a living,” he added before climbing into his truck and driving off without discussing his expectations for the Nov. 3 election.
And just like that, Platner shut down the conversation and disappeared down the road.
His campaign had been built around an unvarnished, working-class persona, though that image took a hit when reports revealed that he was raised with privilege and attended one of New England’s elite prep schools.
The oyster-farming narrative also proved more limited than it first appeared: Platner’s only customer was reportedly his mother’s restaurant.
Platner has mostly avoided public attention since his campaign collapsed under a wave of damaging allegations over the summer. Those claims included sending sexual messages to women other than his wife, violence toward former romantic partners and an allegation of sexual assault.
One former partner also alleged that Platner said he would rape a male intruder who entered his apartment as a way to establish dominance.
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The Democrat, who had been surging in the polls and attracting support from prominent Washington leftists, acknowledged sending sexually explicit messages but denied the other allegations.
Platner argued that the accusations were part of an elaborate effort to destroy him because his political message had become too influential.
Back in Sullivan, however, some neighbors said the scandal appeared to have brought him back down to earth. Josh Winer, owner of a local deli Platner often visits, said he was “just a regular person again.”
“He looks a whole lot more healthy than he did,” said Winer, whose menu includes a roast beef sandwich named for the former candidate.
“Now it’s just him again. He gets a sandwich on his own. We talk about oysters. It’s back to normal,” Winer said. “He’s been a regular here for years. Then he ran for office and still came in when he could, or he’d send his people in for lunch.”
Still, not every resident viewed the former candidate with the same warmth. Platner’s downtown office had been cleared out and closed.
“He’s not a favorite around here. Especially with the women,” a local fruit seller said. “Just drop it.”
Others said they’d been excited to vote for Platner — until the misconduct claims came out against him.
“I heard all the negativity, and it was a turn-off for me,” 59-year-old maintenance worker Allan Flye said. “I might have voted for him if there was less negativity about him.”
Platner’s sex misconduct claims were just the straw that broke the camel’s back — he was also outed for having a Nazi Death’s Head tattoo on his chest, and for writing alarming screeds about rape and cops on internet forums from about 2013 to 2021.
He later got the tattoo covered and claimed he’d gotten it while drunk with fellow Marines — insisting he had no idea about the symbol’s dark history — and that his online comments came while he was suffering from PTSD.
“He probably tarnished himself more than anything,” Flye added. “I don’t think the town was really affected by it.”
Platner at one point was polling 7 points ahead of Collins, a moderate Republican who has been in office since 1997.
“I was going to vote for [Platner] until they kicked him out, so I’ll vote for his replacement,” said Mary, a local voter. “I’m not voting Republican.”
However, Jackson has had a much harder road after he was picked by the party to fill Platner’s shoes. Polls show him leading Collins by less than 2 points, according to RealClearPolitics.