{"id":2613266,"date":"2026-06-11T06:39:01","date_gmt":"2026-06-11T10:39:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ro-khanna-says-graham-platner-endorsement-wont-hurt-him-in-2028\/"},"modified":"2026-06-11T06:39:56","modified_gmt":"2026-06-11T10:39:56","slug":"ro-khanna-says-graham-platner-endorsement-wont-hurt-him-in-2028","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ro-khanna-says-graham-platner-endorsement-wont-hurt-him-in-2028\/","title":{"rendered":"Ro Khanna says Graham Platner endorsement won&#8217;t hurt him in 2028"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fro-khanna-says-graham-platner-endorsement-wont-hurt-him-in-2028%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2613266&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Rep. Ro Khanna, seen as a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democrats-reject-newsoms-attempts-to-distance-from-the-party\/\" title=\"... reject Newsom&#039;s attempts to distance from the party\">potential 2028 presidential contender<\/a>, played down concerns that his support for Graham platner-Democratic nominee for Maine\u2019s Senate seat-could hurt his future ambitions despite Platner\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/chris-cuomo-breaks-silence-on-brothers-sexual-harassment-accusations\/\" title=\"Chris Cuomo breaks silence on brothers sexual harassment accusations\">recent scandal involving<\/a> his treatment of an ex-girlfriend, which Khanna called misogynistic and wrong. Khanna argued that Maine voters already knew what he would be getting, and he emphasized his own congressional record, including his role in advancing Epstein-related files and other accountability and policy priorities.<\/p>\n<p>The article notes Khanna has grown more prominent this year through work connected to uncovering millions of Epstein investigation documents,and it reports Platner may continue to attract support and withstand backlash given that scandals may be less career-ending in today\u2019s political climate. Analysts cited in the piece frame the gamble as a potential \u201crisk vs. reward\u201d calculation for Democrats: unseating incumbent Sen. Susan Collins could be strategically valuable, even if more damaging revelations could still emerge.<\/p>\n<p>Other Democrats in the article say it\u2019s too early to judge whether Platner\u2019s association will matter for Khanna\u2019s 2028 prospects, while also urging vigilance in vetting candidates. The piece concludes by highlighting broader Democratic debate over flawed candidates, the need for equal \u201cgrace,\u201d and the party\u2019s push to regain control of the House and Senate before the next election cycle.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rep. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/ro-khanna\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"5039\">Ro Khanna<\/a> (D-CA), a potential <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/2028-elections\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"11676\">2028<\/a> presidential candidate, downplayed questions that his support of the controversial <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/graham-platner\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"22643\">Graham Platner<\/a>, Democratic nominee for Senate in Maine, could damage a future run for higher office.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In an interview with the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>, Khanna said voters would focus on his work in Congress to hold lawmakers and criminals accountable, such as convicted sex offender <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/jeffrey-epstein\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"1860\">Jeffrey Epstein<\/a>.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/presidential\/4598793\/bernie-sanders-heir-2028\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>No heir apparent: Progressives split over who carries Bernie Sanders\u2019s torch in 2028<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/presidential\/4601101\/democrats-ruled-out-2028-presidential-bid\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Which Democrats have taken themselves out of the 2028 presidential race?<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/presidential\/4599700\/gregory-bovino-2028-president-bid\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Ex-Border Patrol official Bovino not ruling out 2028 run if that\u2019s \u2018what it takes\u2019<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI\u2019ve endorsed so many candidates,\u201d Khanna said. \u201cI think what people look at is my leadership on the Epstein files, my leadership on stopping the war in Iran, my leadership in standing up to the billionaire class, in calling for attacks on billionaires, my leadership on my economic vision, call that new economic patriotism for how to create economic success across this country.\u201d <\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap\" style=\"min-height:5px;\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" style=\"display:none;\">Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-15\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Khanna is among the several Democrats who have backed Platner\u2019s campaign to take on incumbent Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) this November. But after a recent scandal in which Platner aggressively handled an ex-girlfriend, Khana has navigated a thorny balance.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI want to be clear: his actions were misogynistic, they were shameful, they were wrong, but they didn\u2019t come as a surprise to a lot of the folks in Maine,\u201d Khanna told <em>Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan<\/em> on Sunday. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Khanna claimed that Platner took accountability for his actions before attacking Collins for voting against <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/south-korea-kicking-people-out-of-icus-over-coronavirus\/\" title=\"South Korea Kicking People Out of ICUs over Coronavirus\">national health insurance<\/a> and voting for tax breaks for billionaires. <\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap\" style=\"min-height:5px;\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" style=\"display:none;\">Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-16\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The California Democrat gained some prominence this year for his work with Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) on a discharge petition that eventually forced the Department of Justice to release millions of files related to Epstein\u2019s investigation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He has now reportedly hired former President Joe Biden\u2019s chief of staff, Ron Klain, to advise him ahead of a potential presidential run. If he were to run, Khana could take up the progressive mantle that Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) claimed during the 2016 and 2020 Democratic presidential primaries. Yet Khanna could face some competition in a 2028 race if another progressive stalwart, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), decides to run for president.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But what happens in Maine could have some impact on Khanna\u2019s 2028 credentials. <\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap\" style=\"min-height:5px;\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" style=\"display:none;\">Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-17\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt\u2019s one of those things where you are <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >balancing risk versus reward<\/a>,\u201d said Cayce Myers, a professor at Virginia Tech\u2019s School of Communication. \u201cThe reward is that if Platner unseats Collins and the Democrats are in control of the Senate, this seems like a very strategic move.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But Myers cautioned, \u201cThe challenge is that, are there other things that could come out? How does this play out with the electorate? Does Platinum end up imploding as a candidate?\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Democrats are making the case to voters in Maine that control of the Senate is at hand, and winning the Maine seat is imperative to flipping control, even if it means reluctantly lining up behind Platner. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the age of President Donald Trump, where scandals that would have ended political careers in the past are barely a blip now, Platner could survive the onslaught of negative news. He won the Democratic primary overwhelmingly with 72% of the vote on Tuesday night.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe certainly see greater limits to what the electorate is willing to accept and forgive,\u201d said Myers. \u201cBut it is a statewide election against an incumbent who has been able to fend off very well-financed strong challengers to be a blue state Republican and to be able to survive as long as Collins has is a testament, I think, to her own political strength.\u201d <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> that \u201cit\u2019s too early to say\u201d whether the association with Platner could harm Khanna\u2019s 2028 chances.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI think what I appreciate about Ro is that he takes positions and he sticks to them,\u201d she continued. \u201cHe doesn\u2019t flip around.\u201d <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Washington Democrat did implore Democrats to be vigilant about screening candidates. Platner had already come under fire for controversial Reddit posts, a Nazi-linked tattoo, and the revelation that he sent sexually explicit text messages to women while married. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI\u2019ve been really strong on the Epstein survivors,\u201d said Jayapal, who also pushed for \u201cpopulists who respect women.\u201d <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-CA) said it made sense that Khanna and other potential 2028 candidates would stump for Democrats across the nation to help the party win back control of the House and Senate. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/presidential\/4598793\/bernie-sanders-heir-2028\/\">NO HEIR APPARENT: PROGRESSIVES SPLIT OVER WHO CARRIES BERNIE SANDERS\u2019S TORCH IN 2028<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But she also cautioned that \u201cwe\u2019re always going to have flawed candidates, because as humans, we\u2019re flawed.\u201d <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAnd I also think it\u2019s important that as Democrats we give a little more grace to really a lot of candidates and members, quite frankly, and hopefully we can give as much grace to our black and brown and Asian candidates and members as we do our white ones,\u201d said Kamlager-Dove. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Rep. Ro Khanna downplayed concerns his support for Maine\u2019s Graham Platner could hurt a potential 2028 presidential bid<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2658,"featured_media":2613267,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/AP26019762846290.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[41461,38553,13348,65649,32530],"class_list":["post-2613266","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-2028-election","tag-democratic-politics","tag-endorsement","tag-graham-platner","tag-ro-khanna"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/AP26019762846290.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2613266","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2658"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2613266"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2613266\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2613270,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2613266\/revisions\/2613270"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2613267"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2613266"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2613266"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2613266"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}