Speaking at a city corridor following days of adverse revelations about his online posts and a tattoo that resembled Nazi imagery, Graham Platner was defiant.
“The amount of money and time it takes to dig through somebody’s entire past who has not lived a very public life is extensive and yet they are willing to expend those resources,” Platner advised the viewers in Ogunquit, Maine, on Wednesday night.
“They are not trying to organize people. They are trying to destroy my life,” he pushed again.
As the Democratic Party tries to seek out its means after final yr’s loss to President Donald Trump, progressives are additionally engaged in an inner battle over what disqualifies a candidate they like. Platner’s candidacy for US Senate from Maine is the most recent litmus test as Democrats attempt to resolve their candidate in opposition to reasonable Republican Sen. Susan Collins, who has been notoriously exhausting for Democrats to beat in her profession.
“Voters are willing to absorb a certain amount of negativity in a personal life of a candidate in order for it to advance their policy preferences,” stated Brandon Rottinghaus, a political science professor on the University of Houston.
NCS first reported that Platner as soon as referred to himself as a communist and dismissed police as bastards.
Then got here a wave of tales exhibiting different posts on-line through which Platner appeared to downplay sexual assault within the navy, questioned whether or not Black folks tip and instructed people who find themselves inebriated are at fault in the event that they put themselves in conditions the place they could possibly be raped.
In a new video he posted to social media Wednesday earlier than the city corridor, Platner apologized for the tattoo and stated he had no data the cranium and crossbones imagery was related to Nazis. Platner lifted his shirt to point out a new tattoo of a Celtic knot to exchange the previous one.
Rottinghaus means that if Platner can illustrate he can win, the notoriety round his on-line posts could not finally matter to sufficient voters in a Democratic main.
“Partisan voters are willing to trade ideological proximity for some degree of scandalized candidates,” stated Rottinghaus.
For many on the left, the gravelly voiced Platner represents what Democrats want within the present political second: a plainspoken Marine adept at capturing consideration and drawing in working-class voters Democrats have misplaced. He’s commanding huge crowds as he campaigns throughout his dwelling state, operating on a platform of supporting Medicare for All and elevating the federal minimal wage.
Others argue Platner’s feedback and the revelation of his tattoo must be disqualifying and query how progressives would react if a Republican had confronted the identical revelations, although the GOP has confronted related questions in regards to the muted response of some prime conservatives to the disclosure of antisemitic and violent messages from a Young Republicans group chat.
Platner has received the assist of Sen. Bernie Sanders, the Vermont unbiased who’s standing by him.
“There’s a young man who served his country in Afghanistan and Iraq, and he went through some really difficult experiences seeing friends of his killed in war,” Sanders stated Tuesday, occurring to indicate that the Democratic institution is engaged in a marketing campaign of character assassination.
“And despite all of that, he had the courage to run for the United States Senate, to stand up to the powers that be, and to fight for the working class of this country,” he added. “I personally think he is an excellent candidate. I’m going to support him and look forward to him becoming the next senator in the state of Maine.”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has voiced assist for Maine Gov. Janet Mills, who announced her bid last week.
“We think that Janet Mills is the best candidate to retire Susan Collins. She’s a tested two-term governor and the people of Maine have an enormous amount of affection and respect for her,” Schumer stated.
Platner shouldn’t be the one Democratic politician dealing with criticism about his previous statements.
When information broke earlier this month of violent textual content messages Jay Jones, the Democratic nominee for Virginia lawyer common, despatched in 2022, it roiled the off-year election in the state.
In a non-public change between Jones and Republican Virginia Delegate Carrie Coyner, Jones griped about how the then-speaker of the House of Delegates, Republican Todd Gilbert, was paying tribute to a former reasonable Democratic lawmaker who died, in keeping with screenshots of textual content messages obtained by NCS. “Three people, two bullets. Gilbert, hitler, and pol pot. Gilbert gets two bullets to the head,” the textual content reads partially, referring to Gilbert and the 2 dictators.
But within the weeks since, Democrats have been steadfast of their assist for Jones and disciplined of their messaging in response to the scandal. They have denounced the texts as indefensible however argued Virginia voters ought to have the chance to resolve Jones’ destiny, they are saying — and by the point Republicans launched the knowledge, lots of of 1000’s of Virginians had already began voting.
“I mean for me, it’s a little more personal, because I’ve known Jay all his life, and his family and my family go back decades,” stated Angelia Williams Graves, a state senator representing Norfolk.
“No matter what was in those text messages, I know that Jay Jones is not willing to sacrifice Virginians for Donald Trump,” she added.
Platner was launched Wednesday evening by his mom following a efficiency by a Maine singer songwriter. He spent a lot of the city corridor speaking in regards to the significance of broadening the Democratic coalition.
“I don’t care if you voted for Donald Trump, if you voted for Kamala Harris or you didn’t vote, you go around this state right now, you go ask any working person, do you think you work in an economic and political system that is built with your interest at heart, nobody says yes. Everybody knows that they are being robbed,” he stated.
He echoed most of the coverage concepts he shares with Sanders and advised the gang he is dedicated to staying within the race.
“Clearly they haven’t spent a lot of time around Marines,” he stated.