Democrats Face a Maine-Size Mess After Platner Withdraws
The Nazi tattoo wasn’t bad enough to force Graham Platner to abandon his Senate bid, his defenders argued earlier this year. Any young Marine, under the powerful influence of alcohol and immaturity, might see a skull and crossbones and think: Badass. The now-deleted Reddit posts mocking rural white people, insulting cops, and making light of assault? Well, chalk that up to the same. Extramarital sexting is not ideal, of course, but then there was Platner’s wife assuring us that the couple had healed. And never mind the allegations of volatile behavior from a couple of past girlfriends; one of them is a Republican activist. But when Politico reported on Monday that a woman had accused Platner of rape, even his most steadfast supporters began to call for his exit. And tonight, the oysterman finally gave in: “For the movement to continue, it can’t be me. For that reason, we are suspending campaign operations,” he said in a video posted to social media. But Platner added to the problems facing Democrats as he exited the race. …