For Democrats, Maine should be a no-brainer

Opinion>Opinions - Campaign The views expressed by contributors are their own and not the view of The Hill For Democrats, Maine should be a no-brainer Comments: by Bill Press, opinion contributor - 06/30/26 7:30 AM ET Comments: Link copied by Bill Press, opinion contributor - 06/30/26 7:30 AM ET Comments: Link copied

Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner stands on stage during a primary election night watch party after winning the Democratic nomination Tuesday, June 9, 2026, in Blue Hill, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

As regular readers of this column may have surmised, I’m a registered Democrat. Not that I always agree with Democrats. I’ve just found, more often than not, that I preferred their solutions to problems to those put forward by the Republican Party — back in the days when there were Republicans, unlike today’s MAGA crowd — interested in solving problems.

However, I must also admit that the politicians I get most frustrated and annoyed with are not Republicans, but my fellow Democrats. They often drive me crazy. And never more so than today, when it seems the whole Democratic Party has its panties in a twist over Graham Platner.

In case you’ve been boycotting the news for the last six months, Platner is the Democratic candidate for Senate in Maine. An oysterman by trade and a first-time candidate, populist, anti-establishment politician, he proved so popular in the Democratic primary that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s (D-N.Y.) chosen candidate, Gov. Janet Mills, suspended her campaign in April.

Then, suddenly, Platner’s Boy Scout image was shattered. As a young Marine, he had a Nazi symbol tattooed on his chest (and since covered with another tattoo). Previous sexist and racist posts on Reddit came to light. Several women he dated told the New York Times he had mistreated them. And his wife accused him of “sexting” other women while they were married.

Do those charges disqualify Platner? Maine Democrats don’t think so. Despite most of that baggage already being public, Platner won the Democratic primary on June 9 with a whopping 72 percent of the vote.

But suddenly, many national Democrats became apoplectic over Platner. Maine is too important, they argue. Getting rid of Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) is our best shot at taking back control of the Senate. We cannot run a flawed candidate like Platner.

Several Democratic lawmakers even called on Platner to drop out of the race so the state party could name another candidate. And, of course, Collins was quickly out with ads making Platner’s character failings the centerpiece of her campaign.

On both sides, this is politics at its nuttiest. First, for Republicans to argue that “character matters” is the height of hypocrisy. What about Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton? He was impeached by his fellow Republicans, indicted for securities fraud, and divorced by his wife after allegations of extramarital affairs. Yet Texas Republicans nominated Paxton as their candidate for U.S. Senate.

And what about that other unnamed national Republican who was accused of sexual misconduct by over 24 women, found liable by a jury for sexually abusing E. Jean Carroll, found guilty by another jury on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, and indicted for stealing government documents, election interference in Georgia, and attempting to overthrow the results of the 2020 election? Character matters? Really? Republicans nominated him for president — three times!

But for Democrats to make Platner’s past mistakes a big deal is the height of stupidity. No, Platner’s not the perfect candidate. But who is? There’s no defending his earlier statements and actions, but here’s the big difference. Unlike Paxton and Trump, Platner has acknowledged that what he did was wrong, apologized for his mistakes, and vows he’s a better person having dealt with his behavior. And his wife stands 100 percent behind him.

It is time for Democrats to get over their pre-2016 thinking, when it was widely believed that any scandal could derail any candidate. That’s simply not the case anymore. Voters are looking for a candidate they identify with and think will fight for them.

It’s time for Democrats to realize that “establishment” Democratic leaders like Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) can no longer simply anoint their preferred candidates. As shown in upsets by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Zohran Mamdani, and three progressive congressional candidates in New York last week, voters want new faces and new ideas. Establishment candidates are losing. Platner fits the bill for a down-to-earth, anti-establishment progressive.

And it is time for Democrats to focus on what’s really at stake in the midterms: winning back control of the House and Senate, putting the brakes on Donald Trump, and saving the republic. They can’t do that without winning Maine.

For Democrats, the question is not whether or not to support Platner. It is how to make sure he has all the resources he needs to win. He may not be the ideal candidate, but he is a lot better than six more years of Susan Collins who, according to CQ Roll Call, voted 95 percent of the time with President Trump in 2025.

Bill Press is host of The Bill Press Pod. He is the author of “From the Left: A Life in the Crossfire.”