Democrats want to fall in love with their candidates, and none more so than the supposed common man plucked from obscurity. That was Maine’s Democratic Senate nominee Graham Platner—“my kind of man,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren said. But long after the love died and the truth emerged, they defended him. Until now, when they can’t.
Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner and his wife Amy Gertner
The latest is from Maine resident Jenny Racicot, who alleges that Mr. Platner drunkenly entered her home in 2021, after she had told him not to, and raped her. Ms. Racicot detailed his use of force and her repeated objections, shared supporting messages with Politico and said she told an ex-boyfriend, who has corroborated her account.
Mr. Platner denies the allegations. He also canceled campaign events to “reflect on the best path forward.” He may withdraw his candidacy before Monday’s deadline, but he is reportedly negotiating to be replaced by a fellow left-winger. By rescinding endorsements and pushing out Mr. Platner, big-name Democrats now try to salvage their chances of unseating Sen. Susan Collins. But they can’t say they weren’t warned.
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Mr. Platner’s Nazi tattoo—an SS emblem he kept on his chest for 18 years—was waved away. The candidate denied having known what it meant, despite evidence he did. “This guy is an authentic man,” said Sen. Ruben Gallego (D., Ariz.). “He’s not antisemitic, and more importantly—not more importantly, but just as important—he’s going to win this election.”
Anything to beat Ms. Collins, a centrist Republican who voted to convict President Trump after he was impeached a second time. Asked about Mr. Platner’s Nazi tattoo, Sen. Chris Murphy (D., Conn.) said, “He sounds like a human being to me.” Not one of those consultant-crafted politicians or, you know, one of the 340 million Americans without Nazi tattoos.
The story went that Mr. Platner had entered a “dark period” after his tours of military duty, but was now healed. The redemption arc was used to dismiss his online posts disparaging blacks, whites, rape victims and a Purple Heart recipient who he said “didn’t deserve to live” in 2019.
In 2021 Mr. Platner called himself a communist, but no matter. Jon Favreau, the Obama alum and host of “Pod Save America,” was typical: “Graham Platner isn’t just our best and only chance to beat Susan Collins, he’s a good, decent man who’s struggled and grown.”
The same was said after Mr. Platner was revealed to have sexted other women—“up to six,” per his campaign—during his marriage, which began in late 2023. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, whose endorsement brought Mr. Platner to the fore, called that a distraction.
Sen. Martin Heinrich (D., N.M.) hailed Mr. Platner as “exactly the person the Democratic Party needs to win back working people.” Daniel Moraff, the lefty political strategist who recruited Mr. Platner, said, “People do not want their candidates grown in vats.”
The implication was that all of this is normal, even relatable for working-class voters and veterans. That’s condescending as usual from the left’s arbiters of masculinity. In fact Mr. Platner polled poorly among the working class, who saw through what his college-educated base projected onto him.
Contrary to the media hype, Mr. Platner comes from an affluent family, which sent him to the fancy Hotchkiss prep school. His oyster business has one substantial customer: a restaurant owned by his mother.
The first allegations of abuse against Mr. Platner surfaced in June. The New York Times focused on an ex-girlfriend, Lyndsey Fifield, a conservative whose story it down-pedaled. “Seems like a lot of nothing,” Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D., R.I.) said. “The only one who had anything to say that seemed unsettling was a woman who works for right-wing political operations.”
Rep. Ro Khanna (D., Calif.) said the behavior Ms. Fifield described was wrong but campaigned with Mr. Platner the next day. “The people of Maine deserve a senator who is going to stand up to the billionaire class, against genocide, and for the working class,” he said. Mr. Khanna said fighting harder “means you show up when an ally who challenges power is under attack.”
They can’t so easily dismiss Ms. Racicot, who says she shares Mr. Platner’s politics and hesitated to speak out for that reason. But now that a left-winger has said it, the women are safe for Democrats to believe.
A few scandals ago, Mr. Platner pivoted from the bad news by posting, “Senator Collins is bought and paid for by Benjamin Netanyahu.” Look over there—the Jews! The deflection scratched the itch of the Democratic activist base, but the Party knows it won’t suffice now.
Sen. John Fetterman (D., Pa.) may be right that “Bernie Sanders needs to apologize for pushing this predator to Democrats.” But will Democrats reflect on why they bought in, and kept buying despite the warnings? No, their hunt begins now for the next working-class mystery hero.
