Democrats were counting on Maine to hand them the Senate. Now their own candidate is a one-man disaster machine.
The scandals keep piling up, and Democrat lawmakers are running out of excuses.
And an MSNBC host cornered a Democrat senator with one uncomfortable question that left her visibly frustrated.
The Scandal That Won’t Stop Growing
Graham Platner was supposed to be one of the Democrats’ brightest Senate recruits of the 2026 cycle. The Marine veteran and oyster farmer quickly emerged as a rising political star in Maine, fueling hopes that the party could unseat Republican Senator Susan Collins and help reclaim control of the Senate.
Chuck Schumer’s dream of becoming Majority Leader rests on Platner defeating Collins.
In recent months, Platner’s campaign has been rocked by allegations from former girlfriends, reports that he exchanged sexually explicit messages with multiple women early in his marriage, resurfaced social media posts, and questions surrounding a tattoo that resembled a Nazi symbol.
In a lengthy report, *The New York Times* interviewed three of Platner’s former girlfriends, who described his behavior as “toxic” and “unsettling” at times. One woman, Lyndsey Fifield, recounted an argument when they dated — from roughly 2013 to 2015 — during which Platner “twisted her arm behind her back, shoved her into a bedroom and held the door closed from the other side so she couldn’t get out, telling her to remain there until she was ‘calm.'” Fifield also claimed that Platner knew the meaning behind a Nazi tattoo he has since covered.
Platner’s campaign told the Times he “strongly disputes” allegations that he physically intimidated or threatened anyone.
The oyster farmer and Marine Corps veteran’s wife, Amy Gertner, informed a senior campaign aide last summer that he had exchanged sexual messages with several women, according to *The New York Times* and *The Wall Street Journal*.
Volatility has followed Platner since last year. Last fall, the campaign’s political director, finance director and campaign manager all resigned following revelations that Platner’s prolific Reddit posts included a slew of controversial comments.
MSNBC Presses a Democrat Senator Who Would Rather Talk About Anything Else
U.S. Senator Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) was asked about the *Times* report during an interview on MSNBC. She said she hadn’t yet read it but would “look forward to the day where I am not answering every single week a question about bad behavior by another dude.” “First of all, I think about the women who are coming forward,” Slotkin told MSNBC, noting that her staff informed her of the Times’ reporting.
That’s a telling non-answer. She hadn’t read the story. Her staff briefed her. And her big takeaway was that she’s tired of being asked about it.
“I look forward to the day where I am not answering every single week a question about bad behavior by another dude,” Slotkin said when asked about accusations against Platner live on MSNBC. “I’m sick of it. We got a lot of bigger issues to fry here.”
But here’s the thing — the women who allegedly came forward aren’t sick of it. They’re the ones who had to live it.
During his MSNBC appearance, Platner pushed back on the concerns voiced by Slotkin, telling “All In” host Chris Hayes: “My response is that I agree, but those allegations are false.”
The Party Stuck Between Its Principles and Its Math
Conversations with Democrat strategists in Washington and Maine reveal a frustrated party uncertain about how to proceed. Many are scared to jeopardize Platner’s chances. Others worry about more scandals to come, and say standing behind Platner in the meantime would be abandoning its values. “We are stuck,” as one senior Democrat Senate aide puts it.
Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), asked on NBC whether Platner has the character to serve in the Senate, said, “He has a lot of issues but my God we need the Senate.” Asked whether he would campaign in Maine, Booker said, “I don’t have any plans.”
So Booker admits the guy has serious issues, won’t campaign for him, but also won’t pull his support. That’s the Democrat Party in 2026 in a nutshell — principles available upon request, after the election.
Senate Democrat leader Chuck Schumer said, “I met with Graham Platner today. We’re going to beat Susan Collins, take back the Senate.” Five straight questions about Platner’s scandals. Five straight non-answers from Schumer. Several Democrats, including Schumer, met with Platner in Washington, D.C. Schumer dodged five straight questions about Platner after the meeting, opting instead to repeatedly assert that “We’re going to beat Susan Collins and take back the Senate.”
Asked if he was rethinking his support for Platner, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) told MSNBC, “Certainly not.” “Maybe we should be focusing on the important issues facing working people throughout this country, not focusing on his marriage,” Sanders said.
And Senator Kirsten Gillibrand — who famously led the charge to push Senator Al Franken out of office over far less — has refused to condemn Platner, telling reporters, instead, “We are still going to win Maine.”
Platner’s Own Former Aide Blew the Whistle
A former senior aide to Platner warned he “shouldn’t be a U.S. senator” in a blistering public takedown of her one-time boss published on the eve of Maine’s Democratic primary. Genevieve McDonald, who served as Platner’s political director during the early stages of his campaign, laid out her case in a *Washington Post* opinion piece, a month-by-month breakdown on her mounting concerns and resignation published before Maine Democrats headed to the polls.
McDonald accused Platner of displaying “a pattern of dishonest behavior that is impossible to ignore,” arguing that successive controversies have undermined his assurances that no further damaging revelations would emerge. “Despite being exposed by a series of scandals beginning last October, he kept assuring voters and the Democratic Party that there were no more skeletons in his closet,” she continued. “Then more emerged — the latest, in recent days, have involved former girlfriends’ serious accusations of physical mistreatment.”
She also claimed that after resigning, she was offered “$15,000 to sign a nondisclosure agreement,” an offer she said she declined.
And yet the party marched on.
He Won Anyway. Now What?
With Maine Governor Janet Mills having suspended her campaign and no major opposition remaining, Platner won the June Democratic primary with 72% of the vote. His vote count set a record for a Maine Democratic primary for U.S. Senate, exceeding Sara Gideon’s in 2020 by over 40,000 votes.
A national party official warned: “We have until July 13 for Graham Platner to make a decision that he is not more important than the broader project of preserving our democracy.”
Platner’s platform tells you everything you need to know about what kind of senator he’d actually be. Platner supports abolishing ICE, which he has called “the moderate position.” He has called for the impeachment and removal of Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito from the Supreme Court, and has supported expanding the number of seats on the court. Court-packing, of course, isn’t a policy idea — it’s a scheme to turn the Supreme Court into a rubber stamp for the Democrat agenda and lock out any future conservative majority, permanently. He supports abolishing ICE — which would gut interior enforcement and signal to millions of illegal aliens that the border is open for business again.
MSNBC co-host Elise Jordan asked Platner’s top strategist Morris Katz directly: “Can you say that there are not going to be more women with similar, unflattering accusations against Graham Platner?” Katz began deflecting, saying Platner had addressed his past repeatedly, before Jordan fired back: “Because he has a lot of problems, Morris!”
That moment said it all. Even the network that tilts hard left couldn’t keep a straight face.
The Democrat Party built this mess. They cleared the field for Platner, looked the other way when the scandals started dropping, and now they’re stuck defending a candidate that a growing number of their own members won’t stand next to in public. Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) hasn’t had to do much of anything — she just has to wait for the next headline.
And based on recent history, that headline is probably already on its way.
Sources: Mediaite, NBC News, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Time, CNN, The Hill, NOTUS