SouthernWorldwide.com – As Democrats race to distance themselves from embattled candidate Graham Platner, following a rape allegation that has derailed his campaign, one progressive lawmaker stated that it was “a very easy call” to never have supported him.
Rep. Madeleine Dean, D-Pa., did not have an endorsement to withdraw, as she was one of the few Democrats who publicly voiced concerns about Platner amidst growing controversies, even as many in the party continued to back him.
“Suspending his campaign, he took no accounting for himself,” Dean said, referencing Platner’s 11-minute exit video where he vehemently denied the allegations and attributed his withdrawal to the Democratic establishment.
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“That’s not the kind of person we want as a senator,” she emphasized. “I don’t care if you’re a Republican or a Democrat.”
Dean’s remarks echoed a viral CNN interview from early June, where she described the rapidly mounting controversies surrounding Platner as “distressing” and asserted that he had already “disqualified himself.”
Her warning came a month before Jenny Racicot, a 41-year-old Maine resident, publicly shared allegations that Platner, while intoxicated, forced her into non-consensual sex in 2021. Platner has consistently denied this accusation, which was initially reported by Politico.
At the time Dean publicly voiced her concerns, Platner was the strong favorite for the Democratic nomination. Few Democrats had publicly criticized him despite a growing list of scandals, including a Nazi-linked tattoo, offensive Reddit posts, infidelity, and allegations of misconduct in previous relationships, notably an account of physical abuse from Lyndsey Fifield, who dated Platner between 2013 and 2015.
Even Democrats who did break with Platner, such as Rep. Jake Auchincloss, D-Mass., faced significant backlash from supporters who argued they were jeopardizing the party’s efforts to unseat incumbent Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine.
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Despite this, many Democrats continued to defend Platner even as controversies mounted.
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., a Platner supporter, downplayed the allegations from ex-girlfriends in an interview with NOTUS, suggesting they “seem like a lot of nothing” and implying that Fifield’s background in Republican politics might have influenced her account.
Other staunch Platner supporters, including Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., argued that voters should prioritize policy issues over personal scandals, appearing to dismiss allegations of misconduct.
“I think it’s important for us to focus on the issues facing working families a little bit more than Graham Platner’s marriage,” Sanders told reporters in June in remarks obtained by NBC.
When asked if she believed Democrats waited too long to denounce Platner, Dean largely refrained from offering a judgment.
“Simply…because I was asked,” the Pennsylvania Democrat continued. “I just called it as I saw it. It was not a tough call. The timeline for anybody else, I have no judgment.”
Collins, who is seeking her sixth term in the Senate, is widely considered the most vulnerable Republican incumbent, making Maine a prime pickup opportunity for Democrats. Dean stated that this political calculation did not justify supporting Platner.
“When we get it wrong, we need to simply say that,” she reiterated.
Some Democrats have acknowledged their missteps in the days following the Platner campaign’s collapse.
“I got the Platner call wrong, obviously,” Khanna, a prominent ally of Platner, told Politico’s Playbook, adding that the candidate’s downfall “doesn’t negate the progressive movement.”
Platner is expected to formally submit withdrawal papers on Monday, the final day he can do so to enable Democrats to select a replacement on the ballot. Democrats are now working rapidly to establish a process for choosing Platner’s successor.
Whoever the Democrats nominate will immediately face substantial Republican advertising. Allies of Collins have already committed $8 million in negative ads targeting the new nominee.
