GOP senators torch scandal-plagued Platner while Dems stay silent on candidacy
As scrutiny of Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner mounts ahead of Tuesday’s primary, Republican senators are openly denouncing his candidacy while many Democrats are declining to weigh in.
The reluctance by many Senate Democrats to publicly defend Platner comes as the Maine candidate faces mounting scrutiny days before Tuesday's primary, with new allegations and controversies emerging.
"I think it is really sad when you have someone who's a self-described communist, who put a Nazi tattoo on himself, to see so many Senate Democrats supporting him," Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, told Fox News Digital. "That should be beyond the pale."
When Fox News Digital asked Democratic senators whether they still supported Platner, some were reluctant to weigh in, while others said the decision belongs to Maine voters.
When asked if he would continue to back Platner, Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., responded, "Who told you I was supporting him?" When asked if he does support him, he replied, "I don’t vote in that state."
"The people of Maine are going to have to make up their minds," Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, said.
Other Democrats refused to comment on the situation altogether, claiming to not have given the Maine election much thought.
"I’m gonna take a look at the race," Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., said. "I hadn’t paid any attention. We’ve been busy on other fronts so, but I will look at it now."
"I don’t know," Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said when asked his thoughts on the race in Maine. "I have a few other things on my mind."
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These responses come after a string of allegations and revelations about Platner were made public, and continue to emerge: sexting scandals while married, openly mocking a wounded American soldier in a Taliban attack and crude sexual Reddit posts. Most recently, allegations have also come forward of disturbing behaviors in his past relationships.
A recent report from the New York Times features explosive excerpts from Platner’s ex-girlfriends, who alleged that he hates women, detailed fantasies about both rape and killing, and was aware that his chest tattoo resembled the Totenkopf, a symbol used by Nazi death camp guards, despite having previously denied knowing about the association.
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Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., shared his hope that Maine voters will take action at the voting booths on Tuesday to not allow Platner to be elected as Maine’s Senate Democrat nominee.
"I think it’s going to be interesting to see if the voters of Maine are able to see through the lies that Graham Platner is planting," Hagerty said. "He’s trying to excuse himself for behavior that is totally unconscionable."
"You got to really feel sorry for the true Democrats in this country," Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., said. "They have no representation. Now they're taking these people who absolutely have no business representing anybody."
Despite the plethora of scandals and allegations coming out nearly daily on Platner, he still remains the frontrunner in Tuesday's Democratic primary.
Many Democrats, including Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., continue backing Platner as Democrats view Maine's Republican-held Senate seat as one of their top pickup opportunities in the midterms.
If elected, Platner and the incumbent Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, will face off in November’s midterms.
"I can't imagine that Mainers want to be represented by somebody like that," Hagerty said. "When they have an option to continue working with Susan Collins, who is working her heart out to represent Maine every day.
"This Platner guy can’t beat Susan Collins, number one," Tuberville said. "But to even have him in the race is embarrassing — to me — for Maine and for our country."