Cogito Ergo Non Serviam
Platner Quits Maine Senate Race
This journal has never been a fan of the rugged, "self-made" working-class hero. While they are perfectly fine in their lanes, they rarely have an understanding of politics. Their lack of polish presents an authenticity for the camera that really is not there. Usually, it is just some poor plumber in over his head (see the UK by-election in Makerfield and the disastrous Reform candidate) who founders before sinking. Today, Graham Platner of Maine is in deep trouble as the Democratic Nominee for US Senate because, not to put too fine a point on it, he has been credibly accues of rape.
The New York Times reported
In a private call with his campaign staff on Monday evening, Mr. Platner did not announce plans to withdraw but implied such a decision would be coming, according to three people familiar with the conversation. He said that he believed he still had leverage to influence which candidate would replace him on the ticket and wanted to ensure that the movement his campaign had built would continue, the people said.
This is the kind of chaos that dooms political efforts. Under the law of Maine, the nominee has until July 13 to withdraw or his name stays on the ballot. If he does quit, the party has until July 27 to replace him. There is no statutory mechanism for naming that replacement, so the Democratic Party in Maine has to hold a convention or caucus to redo the primary. None of this looks good, and it will turn off some voters who say all politicians are corrupt.
This race is more important than some other Senate fights because the Democrats have (or had) a halfway decent chance to take the seat from the GOP. Susan Collins holds the seat and has for 29 years. She is running for a sixth term, and that is usually signals a restless in the electorate for a fersh face. Further, there is a disharmony between her image of weighing matter carefully as an independent voice for Maine and her voting record.
Citing Roll Call, local TV station WMTW noted
Collins' 2025 votes supported Trump’s position 94.6% of the time. Among Republicans, only Rand Paul of Kentucky and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska supported Trump less frequentlly than Collins. Republican senators supported Trump at record levels; most Republicans voted 100% with Trump.
Voting with the president almost 95% of the time is not being an independent agent. She was vulnerable as she could be.
Now, the party has to take time and resources away from attacking the Republicans and use it to determine who the new nominee is. That is not just a problem for the campaign, it is a tell for the party. They did a lousy job of vetting candidates. This journal had no trouble spotting him as a potential fraud (though not legally one), but dozens of big-shot politicos are now trying to extracate themselves from this quicksand.
Congressman Ro Khanna (D-CA) was all in for Mr. Platner. Politico says:
Khanna, arguably more than any other national Democrat, provided political cover for the renegade Maine Senate candidate. He stood by Platner as he was buffeted by a series of controversies and physically stood with him onstage at a campaign rally in Maine, one day after the New York Times reported on the oysterman's toxic behavior toward former girlfriends.
That is over. "I've been very clear that sexual assault or violence against women is a red line. These allegations are very serious and credible. Graham Platner should drop out from the race. I am withdrawing my endorsement," Mr. Khanna posted on social media roughly two hours after the story was published.
There is every chance the Democrats have lost their chance in Maine.
© Copyright 2026 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Ubuntu Linux.
|
|
|
