GOP senators torch scandal-plagued Platner while Dems stay silent on candidacy
As scrutiny of Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner mounts ahead of Tuesday’s primary, Republican senators are openly denouncing his candidacy while many Democrats are declining to weigh in.The reluctance...
By Fox News · Fox News
As scrutiny of Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner mounts ahead of Tuesday’s primary, Republican senators are openly denouncing his candidacy while many Democrats are declining to weigh in. The reluctance by many Senate Democrats to publicly defend Platner comes as the Maine candidate faces mounting scrutiny days before Tuesday's primary, with new allegations and controversies emerging. "I think it is really sad when you have someone who's a self-described communist, who put a Nazi tattoo on himself, to see so many Senate Democrats supporting him," Sen. Ted Cruz , R-Texas, told Fox News Digital. "That should be beyond the pale." When Fox News Digital asked Democratic senators whether they still supported Platner, some were reluctant to weigh in, while others said the decision belongs to Maine voters. When asked if he would continue to back Platner, Sen. Raphael Warnock , D-Ga., responded, "Who told you I was supporting him?" When asked if he does support him, he replied, "I don’t vote in that state." SEE IT: DEM SENATORS DODGE ON BACKING PLATNER AS MAINE CANDIDATE’S SCANDAL CLOUDS FINAL DAYS BEFORE PRIMARY "The people of Maine are going to have to make up their minds," Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, said. Other Democrats refused to comment on the situation altogether, claiming to not have given the Maine election much thought. " I’m gonna take a look at the race," Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., said. "I hadn’t paid any attention. We’ve been busy on other fronts so, but I will look at it now." "I don’t know," Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said when asked his thoughts on the race in Maine. "I have a few other things on my mind." PLATNER CONTROVERSIES FUEL SPECULATION ABOUT LITTLE-KNOWN MAINE BALLOT REPLACEMENT PROVISION These responses come after a string of allegations and revelations about Platner were made public, and continue to emerge: sexting scandals while married, openly mocking a wounded American soldier in a Taliban attack and crude sexual Reddit post…