The Democrats’ internal circus just keeps getting messier.
Maine Senate hopeful Graham Platner — the Bernie Sanders-backed oyster farmer now swimming in controversy — decided Sunday night in Portland that the best defense is a loud offense, unloading on Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) after the Pennsylvania lawmaker broke ranks and torched him publicly.
Platner, who has been dogged by serious baggage including a reported Nazi “Totenkopf” skull tattoo, explicit online sexual messaging allegations, and accusations detailed in a New York Times report from a former girlfriend, didn’t exactly choose calm diplomacy when addressing concerns about how he’d function in Washington.
Instead, he zeroed in on Fetterman.
“The Senate really is a place of, it’s a lot about relationships, and … I don’t want to go down there and simply be nonfunctional,” Platner told attendees when asked how he’d operate if elected.
“I mean, as you can all probably tell, I got a lot of criticisms about the way this government functions, but in order for us to make it functional, we’re going to have to do stuff, and you can’t just go down there and be John Fetterman, and … just sort of be an a**hole,” he said, doubling down by adding that since Fetterman “has said mean things” about him, he’s “allowed to say that.”
Fetterman, for his part, has hardly been subtle either. He previously described Platner in blunt terms during remarks reported by NOTUS journalist Igor Bobic, saying, “Democrats really, really like Platner in Maine, but the Republicans f**king love him. If Maine wants an a**hole with a Nazi tattoo on his chest, they get him.”
The Pennsylvania senator has also suggested Platner’s past goes beyond political baggage, referencing alleged inappropriate online activity, including claims of explicit messages and other misconduct tied to social media activity. In a separate Fox News appearance, Fetterman criticized Platner’s personal presentation while contrasting it with what he called more troubling behavior elsewhere in the candidate’s past.
Platner’s campaign, meanwhile, is now trying to outrun a growing list of controversies that have become political oxygen for opponents — including allegations about his conduct in past relationships and questions about his judgment online.
And yet, Maine Democrats appear poised to back him in the upcoming primary, setting up what could be a bruising general election showdown against longtime GOP Sen. Susan Collins — while also ensuring this intraparty food fight is far from over.
