Democratic strategist calls Platner a ‘problem’ as scandal mounts
GOP strategist Ashley Hayek and Democratic strategist Mally Smith discuss the political fallout of Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner as past scandals surface. Smith acknowledges trust issues with voters, while Hayek criticizes Democrats for prioritizing politics over principles.
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The New York Times Opinion panels on Saturday discussed Democrat Graham Platner’s campaign for the Maine US Senate in “The Opinions,” asking whether his scandals, public image and support ahead of Tuesday’s primary show how deeply President Donald Trump has changed voters’ expectations of political character.
“Obviously, he’s not Donald Trump. I mean, he’s a gateway drug to Trumpism. Let’s put it this way: If he wins again [Texas Senate candidate James] Talarico lost, the cry across the country, in that class of Democratic consultants, will be: ‘I got more Platners. We need more Platners. They are the ones who know how to win.’ And where have I heard this before?” said columnist David French.
A discussion on the New York Times Opinion podcast “Opinions” focused on Platner’s bid to challenge Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and the repeated controversies surrounding her campaign.
Columnist Jamelle Bouie said Platner should not be directly compared to Trump, even if he describes the Maine candidate in crude terms.
The New York Times opinion editors discuss how Graham Platner’s arguments show how the politics of the Trump era have changed voters’ values of candidates. (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)
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“You know, I don’t think it’s fair. And I say that because, so far, what we’ve learned about Platner is that, for lack of a better word, he’s kind of a dirtbag. Just a dirtbaggy kind of guy,” Bouie said.
Bouie said Platner’s mistakes brought him closer to Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., than Trump or Senate Republican nominee Ken Paxton. Fetterman successfully campaigned on a working-class image for his 2022 victory.
“That compares to Trump, who is not only a criminal, but is busy hurting other people in his private life, right?” Bouie said.
“And I can say the same about Paxton: not just a young guy, but a guy who has a modus operandi, as a person, to try to dominate the people around him in really bad ways. And so, I think Platner is more focused on the John Fetterman continuum than he is on the Trump continuum, which is kind of dirtbaggy.”
David French warned Democrats that Platner’s rise could pressure party strategists to seek out scandal-plagued candidates as political fighters. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
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France said the problem for the Democrats was not just the number of arguments but the pattern they raised regarding Platner’s decision.
“Yeah. The guy’s waving red flags all over the place. It’s like he’s waving flags, ‘Put out the belly, pull out the belly. No, don’t do this,'” French said. “Because it’s not just that he has many scandals. However, the nature of them, and the way he responded to them, suggests that he may not be the type of person you would want in the United States Senate, to put it mildly.”
French said he did not accept Platner’s explanation that he did not understand the meaning of his old, Nazi-linked painting.
Jamelle Bouie called Platner “kind of a dirtbag,” but argued that the Maine Democrat is closer to John Fetterman than Donald Trump. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
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“No, this boy is a person who loves history, the story is that he went through difficult times, he didn’t know what he was doing,” he said. “He came out of a tough time. He’s better now. Then we got the sexting scandal. Well, the sexting scandal happened after he got married, recently.”
Moderator Michelle Cottle questioned whether character issues that may have ended a campaign are still relevant in the political landscape created by Trump’s scandals.
“As you’ve seen, on the moral question, Trump has blown that up,” Cottle said. “When we talk about leadership and character, that’s almost laughable these days.”
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Bouie said Platner’s appeal could be successful because the arguments fit the candidate’s image as an uncivilized outsider rather than a condescending one.
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“Unless these hacks or these revelations, or whatever you want to call them, come out illegally or something very unethical,” Bouie said. “In fact, I am sure that he will deal with all of them, because they are the kind of scandals that strengthen political personality.”
