{"id":2621154,"date":"2026-06-29T18:03:01","date_gmt":"2026-06-29T22:03:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/dnc-leaves-platner-off-photo-of-democratic-nominees-in-senate-races\/"},"modified":"2026-06-29T18:04:54","modified_gmt":"2026-06-29T22:04:54","slug":"dnc-leaves-platner-off-photo-of-democratic-nominees-in-senate-races","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/dnc-leaves-platner-off-photo-of-democratic-nominees-in-senate-races\/","title":{"rendered":"DNC leaves Platner off photo of Democratic nominees in Senate races"},"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%2Fdnc-leaves-platner-off-photo-of-democratic-nominees-in-senate-races%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=2621154&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>The article discusses the omission of Graham Platner from the democratic National Committee&#8217;s (DNC) photo of top Democratic Senate nominees, highlighting a logistical reason for not including all candidates. Platner, Maine\u2019s Democratic candidate challenging Susan Collins, faced controversies including past abuse allegations and a Nazi-associated tattoo, but received continued support from the Democratic establishment, including the DNC and prominent senators. Despite scandals, platner won his primary and remains a competitive candidate in Maine\u2019s Senate race. The article also notes that the DNC&#8217;s advertising and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-dangles-access-to-net-unprecedented-fundraising-hauls\/\" title=\"Trump dangles access to net unprecedented fundraising hauls\">fundraising efforts focus<\/a> on core candidates, with plans to support Platner\u2019s campaign to unseat Collins in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/johnson-not-seeking-3rd-term-in-2022-is-probably-my-preference\/\" title=\"Johnson: Not seeking 3rd term in 2022 is probably my preference\">upcoming midterm elections<\/a>, emphasizing the broader Democratic goal of flipping the Senate majority.  <\/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\">The <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/democratic-national-committee\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"3400\">Democratic National Committee<\/a> omitted <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/graham-platner\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"22643\">Graham Platner<\/a> of Maine from its photo of the top five Democratic nominees in their respective <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/senate\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"8765\">Senate<\/a> races.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/PollTracker2024\/status\/2071637921711411288?s=20\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/x.com\/PollTracker2024\/status\/2071637921711411288?s=20\">poll tracker account<\/a> on X noted Platner\u2019s absence from the image that featured former North Carolina Gov. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/roy-cooper\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"1063\">Roy Cooper<\/a>, Sen. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/jon-ossoff\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"3194\">Jon Ossoff<\/a> (D-GA), Texas state Rep. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/james-talarico\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"17710\">James Talarico<\/a>, former Ohio Sen. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/sherrod-brown\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"2353\">Sherrod Brown<\/a>, and former Alaska Rep. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/mary-peltola\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"6029\">Mary Peltola<\/a>. Each Democratic candidate is running for the upper chamber of <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/congress\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"31\">Congress<\/a> in their corresponding state.<\/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\/congressional\/4629069\/joe-manchin-says-insane-democrats-prefer-socialism-over-capitalism\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Joe Manchin says it\u2019s \u2018insane\u2019 that a majority of Democrats prefer socialism over capitalism<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4628969\/gop-doubles-down-save-america-act-supreme-court-mail-in-ballots-counted-after-election-day\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>GOP doubles down on SAVE America Act after Supreme Court allows mail ballots to be counted late<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4628640\/jacob-frey-endorses-angie-craig-minnesota-senate\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Jacob Frey backs Angie Craig for Senate over more progressive Peggy Flanagan<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The photo urged Democratic voters to help flip the Republican-controlled Senate in the November <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/midterm-elections\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"308\">midterm elections<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-15\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe\u2019re organizing to elect Democrats across the country who will take back power from Donald Trump,\u201d the DNC said in a pop-up message when people visit its <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/democrats.org\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/democrats.org\/\">website<\/a>. \u201cChip in today.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The advertisement does not account for all Democratic nominees in Senate elections nationwide. There are more than 30 Senate seats up for grabs this election cycle.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Platner\u2019s exclusion amounted to a logistical problem, according to the DNC, as there are only so many candidates one can fit comfortably in one ad.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-16\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A DNC official said the committee does not feature all Senate campaigns in each of its fundraising appeals or ads. The official confirmed that Platner\u2019s campaign will continue to be featured in the future.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He was previously featured in a recent <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ads\/library\/?active_status=active&#038;ad_type=all&#038;country=US&#038;id=1367717815469641&#038;is_targeted_country=false&#038;media_type=all&#038;search_type=page&#038;sort_data[mode]=total_impressions&#038;sort_data[direction]=desc&#038;view_all_page_id=12301006942\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ads\/library\/?active_status=active&#038;ad_type=all&#038;country=US&#038;id=1367717815469641&#038;is_targeted_country=false&#038;media_type=all&#038;search_type=page&#038;sort_data[mode]=total_impressions&#038;sort_data[direction]=desc&#038;view_all_page_id=12301006942\">DNC ad<\/a> featuring Talarico, Ossoff, Peltola, Cooper, and Iowa state Rep. Josh Turek. Brown was not included in this ad.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Platner notably wrote a <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/JacobRubashkin\/status\/2071689941793243430\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/x.com\/JacobRubashkin\/status\/2071689941793243430\">fundraising letter<\/a> for the DNC, showing that the two are working together despite doubts to the contrary.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-17\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Weeks earlier, Platner won his primary election as he <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >faced abuse allegations related<\/a> to his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/taylor-swifts-midnights-marriage-miscarriage-and-two-single-day-records-at-spotify\/\" title=\"Taylor Swift...s \u2018Midnights...: Marriage, Miscarriage, And Two Single Day Records At Spotify\">past relationships<\/a> with several women. The Democratic nominee has denied the allegations and refused to drop out of the race.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Platner is running to unseat Sen. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/susan-collins\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"1302\">Susan Collins<\/a> (R-ME) in the general election. The Marine veteran and oyster farmer maintains a 2-point lead over the incumbent, according to the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/06\/29\/us\/politics\/collins-platner-maine-senate-poll.html\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/06\/29\/us\/politics\/collins-platner-maine-senate-poll.html\">latest poll<\/a> in the race.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The controversies surrounding Platner have become a point of contention for Democrats, some of whom were told by the candidate himself that there would be no more substantive allegations coming his way. Platner made the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/politics\/policy\/senators-privately-ask-platner-whether-new-allegations-will-emerge-412891de\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/politics\/policy\/senators-privately-ask-platner-whether-new-allegations-will-emerge-412891de\">reported statement<\/a> while meeting with lawmakers in <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/washington-dc\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"260\">Washington<\/a>, a week before <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/maine\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"193\">Maine\u2019s<\/a> June 9 primary. His attempt to quell their concerns was undermined by a <em>New York Times<\/em> <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/06\/04\/us\/politics\/platner-maine-senate-girlfriends-relationships.html\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/06\/04\/us\/politics\/platner-maine-senate-girlfriends-relationships.html\">report<\/a> featuring several women he previously dated, including Republican operative Lyndsey Fifield.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-25\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-4\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The abuse allegations followed another scandal involving Platner\u2019s Nazi-associated chest tattoo, which was seen in an unearthed video from his time in the military. He has repeatedly denied any ties to Nazism and insisted he was unaware of the tattoo\u2019s resemblance to the Totenkopf symbol.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Despite the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/texas-dem-celebrated-volunteer-event-with-id-requirements\/\" title=\"Texas Dem Celebrated Volunteer Event With ID Requirements\">numerous controversies<\/a>, the Democratic establishment, led by Senate Minority Leader <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/chuck-schumer\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"384\">Chuck Schumer<\/a> (D-NY), and the party\u2019s progressive wing, represented by Sens. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/bernie-sanders\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"41\">Bernie Sanders<\/a> (I-VT) and <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/elizabeth-warren\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"250\">Elizabeth Warren<\/a> (D-MA), continue to support Platner\u2019s campaign.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When Platner won the primary election in a landslide vote earlier this month, the DNC congratulated him on the victory.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-26\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-5\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIn less than a year, Graham Platner built a grassroots movement around putting working Mainers first \u2014 ahead of corporations, special interests, and the ultra-wealthy,\u201d DNC Chairman Ken Martin <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/democrats.org\/dnc-congratulates-graham-platner-on-winning-maines-democratic-primary-for-u-s-senate\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/democrats.org\/dnc-congratulates-graham-platner-on-winning-maines-democratic-primary-for-u-s-senate\/\">said in a statement<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhile Susan Collins cuts healthcare, increases everyday costs, undercuts workers, and rubberstamps Donald Trump\u2019s extreme agenda, Graham will focus on making life more affordable while delivering for communities across Maine,\u201d Martin added. \u201cThe DNC is ready to help organize and mobilize voters to defeat Susan Collins, take back the Senate, and prioritize the concerns of working families.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The party committee noted Collins\u2019s seat will be \u201chighly competitive\u201d in November.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4628288\/maine-senate-race-polling-tight-platner-collins-abortion\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4628288\/maine-senate-race-polling-tight-platner-collins-abortion\/\">MAINE SENATE POLLING STAYS TIGHT AS PLATNER TRIES TO HAMMER COLLINS ON ABORTION<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In January, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dscc.org\/article\/senate-democrats-carve-out-path-to-senate-majority-in-2026\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.dscc.org\/article\/senate-democrats-carve-out-path-to-senate-majority-in-2026\/\">listed Maine<\/a> as one of the states in which Democrats have a chance of regaining control in the Senate. In its press release, the DSCC made no mention of Platner and instead discussed his former primary opponent, Gov. Janet Mills (D-ME), before she suspended her Senate campaign months later.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After withdrawing from the race, Mills remained on the primary ballot. She trailed Platner by about 52 percentage points, according to the election results.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>DNC left out Maine&#8217;s Graham Platner from top Senate nominees photo<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2159,"featured_media":2621155,"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\/06\/AP26161072143571_ae7708.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[47816,7705,65502],"class_list":["post-2621154","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-democratic-nominees","tag-dnc","tag-platner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/AP26161072143571_ae7708.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2621154","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\/2159"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2621154"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2621154\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2621158,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2621154\/revisions\/2621158"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2621155"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2621154"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2621154"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2621154"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}