California Rep. Ro Khanna defended his continued backing of fellow Democrat Graham Platner in his Senate campaign amid new allegations about the candidate's treatment of women, telling CBS News' "Face the Nation" that Platner's actions were misogynistic, "but they didn't come as a surprise to a lot of the folks in Maine."

Khanna said, "Here you have a case of someone who had a dark chapter in his life, was in toxic relationships, was ashamed about it, who served this country, and the Maine voters are saying, 'Look, let's give him some grace, and his focus is stopping these wars, and it's getting national health insurance, and it's taking on economic inequality.'"

Platner is favored to win Maine's Democratic primary Tuesday, setting up a showdown with incumbent Sen. Susan Collins, whom many analysts consider the most vulnerable Senate Republican seeking reelection this cycle.

Khanna, who campaigned Friday for Platner, told "Face the Nation": "I want to be clear: 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."

He added, "People in Maine knew that he had two tours of duty in Iraq. He came back broken in a dark place. That doesn't excuse his behavior, but they knew this. He was in Washington, and then he went back to Maine, and he started an oyster farm. He took accountability. He himself has said it was shameful."

Khanna said, "If there was evidence of violence, I would not support him. If there was evidence of sexual assault, I'd have zero support for him. He acknowledges that he was misogynistic. It was shameful. One thing I want to make very clear: we should not be attacking the women who came forward. We should not be attacking the journalists."

Politico reported that Lyndsey Fifield, the accuser prominently featured in a New York Times article, told the outlet that Platner "never hit me, he never punched me," but she recalled an occasion when he had grabbed her by the wrist and another when he had twisted her arm behind her back.