Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner is counting on help from an unlikely source to get him elected: President Donald Trump.The would-be Collins challenger has also run as a Trumpian populist from the Left, in an effort to woo working-class and war-weary voters who have abandoned the Democrats in recent election cycles.
But now, precedents that Trump has set and his examples of how to weather numerous scandals at once will come in handy for Platner in next week’s Democratic primary and possibly all the way to November.
The sexually explicit texts from Platner that dominated headlines over the weekend are just the latest scandal for the Democratic candidate, who has faced scrutiny over past controversial statements and Nazi imagery that was once tattooed on his body.
It has been widely rumored among political operatives in both parties that there is more damaging information coming in the form of opposition research dumps.
Platner was never the Democratic establishment’s first choice to take on Collins, and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s (D-NY) primary pick, Gov. Janet Mills (D-ME), took to reminding Maine voters on Monday that while she suspended her campaign for the seat, they could still cast ballots for her next Tuesday.
