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Graham Platner may have just unwittingly proved that character still matters in politics.
The Maine Democrat announced Wednesday night that he will withdraw as the Senate nominee in the wake of an allegation that he had non-consensual sex with a woman he dated five years ago.
While Platner denied the allegation, he was forced to acknowledge the political reality: This latest charge, coming on the heels of a series of revelations about his past conduct, made it virtually impossible for him to beat GOP Sen. Susan Collins in November.
Which, according to my friend Matt Lewis, is a very good thing — because it proves that Donald Trump hasn’t broken politics completely.
Trump, of course, faced more than a dozen credible allegations from women of inappropriate sexual conduct during the 2016 campaign. He also was caught on camera describing how “when you're a star, [women] let you do it. You can do anything.”
Trump won in 2016 anyway. And again in 2024.
But the fact that Platner’s character issues eventually caught up with him and drove him from the race is proof, Matt argues, that Trump is sui generis — a one of one — and that character still matters to the public when it comes to their politicians (except for Trump).
I think (and hope!) that’s true.
Matt and I spent a good chunk of time talking Platner and what his drop-out means for Maine, the Senate playing field and the Democratic party. We also went deep on the conspiracy theories surrounding Mitch McConnell’s health — and why you can’t totally dismiss them. We ended on the continuing debacle for Donald Trump in Iran — and what it means for the midterms.
