Graham Platner’s latest scandal has Democrats questioning whether the once-hyped candidate could end up weighing down their midterm chances.
Platner is all but certain to be Democrats’ Senate nominee to face Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine)after next week’s primary, with Gov. Janet Mills having suspended her campaign in April. But the litany of potentially damaging stories keeps growing, with new reporting over the weekend that Platner exchanged sexual text messages with other women while he was married.
The revelation, which follows scandals related to his offensive old Reddit posts and his tattoo resembling a Nazi symbol, are leading some Democrats to question whether Platner undermines their credibility in going after Republicans on issues of moral character. Even as Democratic senators publicly defend him, strategists worry whether Platner will be able to keep withstanding the ongoing drip of revelations about his controversial past — and about what might come out next.
“Up until now, the things that have come out, most Mainers have been pretty forgiving — enough to force out a sitting governor in a primary,” said Chuck Rocha, a longtime Democratic strategist who is advising multiple Senate campaigns but is not involved with Platner’s bid. “The thing that bothers me about Graham is every week it seems like it’s something else. … I worry because I have the scars of trying to beat Susan Collins for many cycles.”
In Maine, where Democrats are also hoping to hold onto the GOP-friendly 2nd Congressional District and the governor’s mansion, strategists fret that the Senate candidate — who has appeared on the campaign trail with other Democrats this spring — could harm more than he helps come November.
“Is he going to be an albatross to run with? Absolutely,” said one Maine Democratic strategist, who, like others in this article, was granted anonymity to speak candidly. “He’s going to lose. All these polls showing him up against Susan Collins — people forget that the voters who decide this race make their decisions in the last two weeks.”
Platner has thrived in spite of many controversies so far. The candidate, a political newcomer, has apologized for his past Reddit comments, saying he was in a dark place and has grown since then. He had his tattoo that resembled a Nazi symbol covered up. And Maine voters had largely responded well to his approach: He built a commanding lead over Mills in primary polling before she dropped out and led Collins in most public polling of the general election.
But more and more Democrats are bristling with the continued drip of new information.
Platner’s campaign noted he has not lost endorsements after the recent revelations and pointed to supportive comments from lawmakers like Ro Khanna, who plans to appear on the campaign trail with the Maine Democrat. Saturday — the day the Wall Street Journal broke the story of the extramarital sexting — was Platner’s highest grossing digital fundraising day, according to his campaign, though they declined to say how much he’d raised.
Democrats are closely watching how Platner performs in next Tuesday’s primary. Mills is still on the ballot along with David Costello, who was the official Democratic nominee against Sen. Angus King in 2024. A recent University of New Hampshire poll conducted after she suspended her campaign found Platner polling at 76 percent support in the primary, compared with 10 percent for Mills.
“If [Platner] dips below like 65 percent or something [on Tuesday] I think he'd be in trouble,” said a second Maine Democratic strategist. “That's gonna be tough for him.”
The latest sexting news left Platner “the shakiest I’ve seen so far,” the strategist added.
National Democrats are digging in. WinSenate, a group tied to Senate Democrats’ top super PAC, placed a new $3.6 million ad reservation on Monday, according to the tracking service AdImpact.
Several senators who have backed Platner dismissed concerns that he could endanger Democrats’ prospects in Maine and across the map. Platner is set to meet with a group of Democratic senators on Tuesday in Washington.
“Susan Collins has a history of supporting war halfway around the world that is costing the American people billions of dollars and driving up prices for every single family in Maine,” said Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), who has endorsed Platner. “Graham Platner is showing the courage and determination to take that on.”
“What we as a nation need to do is focus on the important issues impacting working families,” Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), one of Platner’s earliest backers, told reporters in the Capitol Monday evening. “Graham and his wife, Amy, will work on their marriage.”
Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), who had also endorsed Platner over Mills after some of his earlier scandals surfaced, defended the Maine oysterman’s experience as “very real.”
“He's talked about it, you know. He's talked to his wife about it,” Gallego said. “The voters of Maine are going to decide what they're going to do, but we know that at this point this man can still win the race. And as long as he continues, I think we'll all be there.”
National Republicans have been eager to capitalize on the new revelations and have sought to tie Platner to other Democratic candidates. In the state’s competitive 2nd District, the National Republican Congressional Committee on Monday was quick to share a video of a GOP tracker questioning Matt Dunlap about his support for Platner. In neighboring New Hampshire, former Sen. John E. Sununu slammed his likely Democratic rival for the state’s open Senate seat, Rep. Chris Pappas, for staying mum on Platner even as other Democrats have raised concerns about the oysterman.
Maine has long been a top Democratic target as the party looks to take back the Senate. Collins is the only Republican senator up for reelection who represents a state Kamala Harris won in 2024. If Democrats can’t flip Maine, their path to Senate control would have to run through much redder states, such as Iowa or Texas.
A third Maine Democratic strategist said it is still early to say whether the latest revelations will harm Platner electorally, given that he has already survived a series of scandals. But operatives in the state are nervously awaiting what else might come out about his candidacy, particularly in the general election.
Mills repeatedly trailed Platner in public polls before suspending her campaign in April, although she reminded the Lewiston Sun-Journal this weekend that she “simply suspended active campaigning” and is still on the ballot. She also posted from her campaign’s X account for the first time since then on Monday, celebrating Pride Month.
One person close to Mills said she had not been approached by Senate Democrats about rejoining the race, even as Platner’s scandals piled up.
“This is kind of where we thought this was all going,” the person said. “We tried to say something about it, but nobody wanted to listen, and now we'll just sit back.”
Calen Razor, Jordain Carney and Katherine Tully-McManus contributed to this report.
from Politics, Policy, Political News Top Stories https://ift.tt/Q8eSwbG
via IFTTT
0 Commentaires