Panic Meeting Over Platner Reveals Dems’ Need to Change the Narrative

As the news cycle heats up with the U.S. Senate race in Maine and Democratic candidate Graham Platner, the party is searching for the right narrative.

Over the weekend, The New York Times published an article detailing sexually explicit messages the candidate reportedly sent to women other than his wife while he was married.

Also, The Wall Street Journal reported about a Kik account with a picture of a man in a towel posing for a bathroom selfie. The person in the photo reportedly matches up with Platner’s tattoos, which have come under fire for being associated with Nazi Germany.

The reports on Platner forced a meeting of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee in Washington, D.C., which was met with protests outside.

As Platner and other Democrats came in and out of the meeting, protesters and reporters shouted questions.

Some of the protesters appeared shirtless with a white towel around their waists to mimic the profile picture on the Kik account. In addition, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., the committee’s chair, answered a question about the Senate race after the meeting, saying, “I’m very optimistic we’re going to win Maine.”

Her focus on Maine rather than on the candidate caught the attention of Tony Kinnett, host of “The Tony Kinnett Cast.”

“You can just see the pain on her face,” Kinnett said about Gillibrand as she answered the question.

Top supporters of Platner include Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who say they still endorse the candidate.

Kinnett painted a picture of how Platner’s campaign has created a headache for Schumer, who tried to avoid the issue on X by criticizing acting Attorney General Todd Blanche for his appearance before Congress this week. Blanche revealed that the Trump administration is “not moving forward” with its proposed anti-weaponization fund.

Schumer’s post about Blanche, Kinnett argued, is part of how Platner represents “the worst thing that could possibly happen to truly ruin Chuck Schumer’s entire ding-dong dang day.”

“[Schumer] knows what’s waiting for him … is a world of hurt, and it all comes in the form of a Nazi tattoo-wearing veteran mocking and hoping for the death of … Purple Heart veterans [and] admitting to doing crack cocaine in the last six years.”

“As this moves forward … Schumer is now between a rock and a hard place. It’s not getting any better for him,” Kinnett added.

Schumer maintained his previous support when asked by CNN’s Manu Raju about endorsing Platner.

“As I said, I endorsed Graham Platner. We’re going to beat Susan Collins and take back the Senate,” Schumer answered.

An internal poll for Platner suggests he leads Republican Sen. Susan Collins by a tight 49-45% margin.

The race in the Pine Tree State is closely being monitored because Republicans hold a slim majority in the Senate, with 53 seats.

Maine’s primary election is June 9.