All articles tagged with #platner
Democrats in Maine are scrambling to nominate a Senate candidate who can appeal to Platner’s voters, with campaigns focused on winning over his base as they navigate a crowded primary and the path to the 2026 election.
NYT analyst Nate Cohn argues that Graham Platner’s blend of progressive, anti‑establishment populism—focused on economic change rather than identity politics—helped him win Maine’s Democratic primary by appealing to moderates and rural voters; his success suggests Democrats could broaden their appeal by adopting a Platner‑style populist approach (e.g., Medicare for all without a full socialist agenda, and avoiding culture-war framing), a path Ossoff has also pursued, though tensions with moderates and progressive purists could complicate its adoption.
Maine Democrats will hold their first Senate debate Thursday as candidates vie to replace Platner before the July 25 nominating convention, with more than 600 delegates set to pick his replacement and a statewide TV broadcast planned; the event also highlights controversy over whether Dan Kleban should have been invited to participate.
Out-of-state operatives recruited Graham Platner, a political novice, to run for Maine’s U.S. Senate seat, but a cascade of vetting failures and scandals — including past Reddit posts, a cover-up tattoo linked to Nazi imagery, and allegations of sexual assault — toppled his campaign, prompting withdrawal and leaving Democrats to reassess candidate screening and electability in Maine.
Graham Platner’s campaign is navigating an exit from the consequential Maine Senate race after a rape allegation against the Democratic nominee undercuts support; he may announce via a recorded video later today, with adviser Morris Katz set to meet with him, as Maine parties prepare a replacement process by late July and confront a July 13 deadline for naming a nominee if he steps aside.
Democrats fear Senate Leader Chuck Schumer could be drawn into a back‑room, Maine‑centric decision over replacing Graham Platner, arguing the replacement must be openly vetted to avoid turnout-sapping backroom deals that could jeopardize the party’s slim Senate majority against Susan Collins. Platner has not quit and has until July 13 to decide, with a July 27 deadline for naming a replacement, as the live updates flag other Capitol flashpoints like McConnell’s health and Johnson’s birthright citizenship debate.
A majority of Senate Democrats are calling on Graham Platner to drop out of the Maine Senate race after a dating partner accused him of sexual assault; 34 of 47 Democratic senators had publicly urged exit as of Tuesday, with top leaders including Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand backing the call. Platner denies the allegations and has not yet decided his path forward, while some former allies have withdrawn endorsements and the Maine Democratic Party has also urged him to quit; several senators remain silent or uncommitted as the tracker updates.
Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner says he has six days to decide whether to drop out after facing a sexual assault allegation from a woman he previously dated.
A 41-year-old former girlfriend says Graham Platner forced sex on her in late 2021 after he entered her home intoxicated, despite her protests; Platner denies the accusation, which comes amid ongoing scrutiny of his campaign for the Maine Senate against Susan Collins.
A Times/Portland Press Herald/Siena poll finds Democratic challenger Graham Platner and incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins running very close in Maine’s U.S. Senate race, with Platner holding a slight lead that is within the margin of error, leaving the outcome effectively undecided.
President Donald Trump endorses Susan Collins in Maine’s Senate race, calling Democrat Graham Platner a “thug” and an “outright pig” while accusing Democrats of hypocrisy over Platner amid questions about Trump’s past conduct.
Democratic Senate hopeful Graham Platner won Maine's Tuesday primary amid personal scandals, setting up a costly head-to-head with Susan Collins and highlighting intra-party tensions as Trump-backed GOP dynamics ripple nationwide.
Graham Platner, an Army veteran and oyster farmer, won Maine’s Democratic Senate primary and pledged to oust Republican Sen. Susan Collins, despite past personal‑conduct revelations and controversial online posts; Democrats see the race as a pivotal opportunity to flip a Senate seat, while Collins emphasizes her long record and leadership on funding and priorities.
Voters in Maine head to the polls in a high-stakes Democratic Senate primary dominated by Graham Platner’s controversies, with some supporters backing him despite calls to drop out and a Washington Post column labeling him unfit—even as polls close tonight and the race could shape Democrats' Senate majority.
Democrats in Maine are anxious as fresh allegations against Senate hopeful Graham Platner surface ahead of Tuesday’s primary, with some hoping Gov. Janet Mills could pull off a surprise upset or that Platner might drop out for a July convention replacement, while others warn any switch could deepen party divisions and threaten the effort to defeat Susan Collins in November; Platner denies the accusations and faces mixed support as late-May polls showed him well ahead of Mills, setting up a protest-vote dynamic in the primary.