Khanna condemns Platner's past actions, but "they didn't come as a surprise" to Maine voters

Face The Nation Khanna condemns Platner's past actions, but "they didn't come as a surprise" to Maine voters .chip { background-image: url('/fly/bundles/cbsnewscore/images/chip-bgd/chip-bgd-face-the-nation.jpg'); } By Caitlin Yilek Caitlin Yilek Politics Reporter Caitlin Yilek is a politics reporter at CBSNews.com, based in Washington, D.C. She previously worked for the Washington Examiner and The Hill, and was a member of the 2022 Paul Miller Washington Reporting Fellowship with the National Press Foundation. Read Full Bio Caitlin Yilek June 7, 2026 / 1:53 PM EDT / CBS News Add CBS News on Google Washington — Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna of California on Sunday condemned Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner's alleged conduct toward women, but said he has taken "accountability" for his actions. "His actions were misogynistic, they were shameful, they were wrong, but they didn't come as a surprise to a lot of the folks in Maine," Khanna said in an interview with "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan." Khanna campaigned with Platner on Friday in Maine as Democrats seek to flip the seat held by Republican Sen. Susan Collins in November in what is one of the most closely watched races in the country. Any hope for Democrats to take control of the upper chamber includes flipping Collins' seat, and she is the only Republican senator representing a state won by Kamala Harris in 2024. "The Maine voters that I met said they don't like it. They knew that he had these chapters. They are willing to extend him grace and redemption and they're focused now on what he's running for," Khanna said. After the disclosure last week that Platner had sent sexual messages to women who were not his wife, allegations about the candidate's behavior toward ex-girlfriends also surfaced. A later New York Times report described Platner's "unsettling" behavior, including one claim that he was physically abusive, which Platner denies. According to the Times,...