Democratic Leaders Dodge Questions on 2,014 Platner Reddit Posts as Maine Race Draws $4 Million Attacks
Updated
Updated · Fox News · May 21
Democratic Leaders Dodge Questions on 2,014 Platner Reddit Posts as Maine Race Draws $4 Million Attacks
5 articles · Updated · Fox News · May 21
Chuck Schumer, Hakeem Jeffries and Elizabeth Warren declined to say whether Graham Platner’s newly resurfaced Reddit posts have become a Democratic liability ahead of the midterms.
About 2,014 deleted posts from Platner’s account are archived in the Maine Monitor database, including graphic sexual remarks, a post mocking a Purple Heart soldier and earlier comments on rape victims, Hamas and Black tipping.
Warren has not withdrawn her endorsement, and Democrats have shown little sign of distancing themselves from Platner even as he is widely seen as the presumptive nominee against Republican Sen. Susan Collins.
$4 million in super PAC attack ads has already been deployed for Collins, with a new ad this week directing voters to a website cataloging Platner’s internet comments.
Platner has said the posts were "joking" and "shitposting," but the steady drip of resurfaced material is adding pressure in a race Democrats need to contest in Maine.
How does a candidate’s decade-old online history influence voter trust in their current promises for political change?
Can a controversial past, explained as humor and personal struggle, be successfully framed as authenticity in a modern campaign?