Why Graham Platner wasn’t the answer to the Democrats’ man problem

Earlier this week, Graham Platner, the Democratic candidate for Senate in Maine, was accused by a former partner of sexual assault. Subscribe ► https://www.youtube.com/@statesidepodcast?sub_confirmation=1 Platner denies the allegations, but on Wednesday, he suspended his campaign, accusing the “political establishment” of tanking his candidacy. But this is only the most recent scandal to have surfaced around Platner’s campaign — over the past year, the oyster farmer and combat veteran was revealed to have a tattoo that closely resembled a Totenkopf (a widely recognized Nazi symbol), a long paper trail of racist, misogynist and homophobic posts on Reddit, and in June, the New York Times published allegations from three former partners about Platner’s “toxic” behavior in their relationships, including, in several cases, physical intimidation (allegations Platner denied). As Democrats regroup and evaluate their dwindling chances to flip the Senate in November, hosts Kai Wright and Carter Sherman are joined by Guardian political reporters Lauren Gambino and Shrai Popat to ask why voters flocked to Platner, why they were reluctant to abandon him as the scandals came out — and what the whole mess says about who gets the privilege of political redemption. 0:00 - Intro 1:43 - Reactions to the withdrawal video 6:25 - The allure of Graham Platner 11:05 - The Platner recruiters 16:07 - The allegations 17:11- The great white macho hope 21:56 - Is this Chuck Schumer's fault? 25:04- The national stakes of Maine's senate race 27:26- What happens next 31:05 - Who is allowed redemption? 34:43- The last straw in 2026 40:13 - What this says about #metoo #grahamplatner #maine #ussenate #politics #masculinity #midterms