{"id":2626444,"date":"2026-07-08T07:48:01","date_gmt":"2026-07-08T11:48:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/platner-implosion-could-hurt-his-socialist-supporters-in-2028\/"},"modified":"2026-07-08T07:49:33","modified_gmt":"2026-07-08T11:49:33","slug":"platner-implosion-could-hurt-his-socialist-supporters-in-2028","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/platner-implosion-could-hurt-his-socialist-supporters-in-2028\/","title":{"rendered":"Platner implosion could hurt his socialist supporters 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\">18<\/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%2Fplatner-implosion-could-hurt-his-socialist-supporters-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=2626444&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 potential 2028 Democratic presidential candidates affiliated with the socialist wing, highlighting their recent support for Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner amid allegations of sexual misconduct. Sanders and Khanna publicly endorsed Platner early on, citing his service and focus on issues like healthcare and economic inequality, but later withdrew their support following credible accusations.Ocasio-Cortez remained somewhat cautious and emphasized that Maine voters should decide. The controversy raises questions about the character judgment of some progressive leaders. The piece also notes the generational differences among <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >left-leaning contenders<\/a>, with Sanders being older and potentially nearing the end of his influence, while Khanna and Ocasio-Cortez are younger and may shape the future of the party. The controversy could impact the socialist segment of the 2028 Democratic primary, as the race may no longer support three candidates in that lane.  <\/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\">Of the three progressives with close ties to the socialist wing of the Democratic Party who could be plausible presidential candidates in 2028, two of them were vocal supporters of embattled <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/maine\/\">Maine<\/a> Senate candidate <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/graham-platner\/\">Graham Platner<\/a> before he was accused of sexual assault. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Will that matter in the 2028 primaries?<\/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\/4636506\/josh-shapiro-socialist-democrats\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Josh Shapiro disowns leftward Democratic shift: \u2018I\u2019m a proud, patriotic American\u2019<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/presidential\/4635367\/socialists-kamala-harris-2028\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Will the socialist revolution come for Kamala Harris?<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/presidential\/4633829\/joe-concha-torches-kamala-harris-2028-elections\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Joe Concha torches Kamala Harris for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/will-the-socialist-revolution-come-for-kamala-harris\/\" title=\"Will the socialist revolution come for ...?\">courting socialist wave<\/a>, then turns fire on Republicans<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sen. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/bernie-sanderse\/\">Bernie Sanders<\/a> (I-VT), Rep. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/alexandria-ocasio-cortez\/\">Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez <\/a>(D-NY), and Rep. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/ro-khanna\/\">Ro Khanna<\/a> (D-CA) are all possible standard-bearers for socialist Democrats, with New York City Mayor <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/zohran-mamdani\/\">Zohran Mamdani<\/a> constitutionally ineligible to run for president.<\/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\">Both Sanders and Khanna were outspoken Platner supporters, while Ocasio-Cortez remained noncommittal. Sanders and Khanna both withdrew their endorsements and called on Platner to drop out of the Maine Senate race after the latest accusations. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI think that is, frankly, an election for the people of Maine,\u201d Ocasio-Cortez told reporters on the day of the June 9 primary, as Platner was facing allegations of mistreating women that seemingly stopped short of sexual assault. \u201cWhat their results, and the ways that they turn out today, I think, will speak for themselves and their preferences\u2026. It\u2019s an election that\u2019s up to the people of Maine and the choices that they have before them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Not Churchillian eloquence, exactly. But it sounds better in retrospect than Khanna\u2019s pre-primary defense of Platner after the <em>New York Times <\/em>report on his treatment of ex-girlfriends.<\/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\">\u201cHere you have a case,\u201d Khanna told CBS\u2019s <em>Face the Nation <\/em>last month, \u201cof someone who had a dark chapter in his life, was in toxic relationships, was ashamed about it, who served this country, and the Maine voters are saying, \u2018Look, let\u2019s give him some grace, and his focus is stopping these wars, and it\u2019s getting national health insurance, and it\u2019s taking on economic inequality.\u2019\u201d<\/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 he added. \u201cPeople in Maine knew that he had had two tours of duty in Iraq. He came back broken in a dark place. That doesn\u2019t excuse his behavior, but they knew this. He was in Washington, and then he went back to Maine, and he started an oyster farm. He took accountability. He himself has said it was shameful.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Khanna did attach conditions to his support. <\/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\">\u201cIf there was evidence of violence. I would not support him,\u201d he said. \u201cIf there was evidence of sexual assault, I\u2019d have zero support for him. He acknowledges that he was misogynistic. It was shameful. One thing I want to make very clear: we should not be attacking the women who came forward. We should not be attacking the journalists.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Khanna said he was keeping this commitment when he yanked his endorsement of Platner on Monday. \u201cI\u2019ve been very clear that sexual assault or violence against women is a red line,\u201d he <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/rokhanna\/status\/2074242263710917062?s=46&#038;t=KW99KwbC1O0FgjPbMHUBug\">posted<\/a> on X. \u201cThese allegations are very serious and credible. Graham Platner should drop out from the race. I am withdrawing my endorsement.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But Khanna, who worked across the aisle with Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) to stop the Iran war and release the Epstein files, has been billed as a thoughtful progressive. This episode will raise questions about the Californian as a judge of character. <\/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\">Sanders was most assertive in defending Platner on the sexting scandal. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe got a housing crisis. People can\u2019t afford healthcare; they can\u2019t afford groceries; they can\u2019t afford to fill up their gas tanks,\u201d he told reporters on Capitol Hill. \u201cAnd I think it\u2019s important for us to focus on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democrats-offer-little-support-as-platner-faces-new-controversy\/\" title=\"Democrats offer little ... as ... faces new ...\">issues facing working families<\/a> a little bit more than Graham Platner\u2019s marriage.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI wish their marriage the very best,\u201d Sanders added. \u201cBut right now, I think we should be focusing on the crises facing the working class and electing people of the guts to stand up to the oligarchs who control our country.\u201d<\/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\">Sanders was slow to pull his support from Platner, though it may have been because he was lobbying his Maine protege in private. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI have spoken with Graham Platner about the best path forward for Maine,\u201d Sanders wrote on X. \u201cIn light of these very serious allegations, I have recommended that he step aside.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ocasio-Cortez had come under fire for not endorsing challengers to incumbents in Democratic primaries (the way she won her own congressional seat in 2018). On Platner, at least, her more cautious approach was vindicated.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sanders, 84, has <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/premium\/4603940\/bernie-sanders-reshape-democratic-party-his-image\/\">acknowledged<\/a> he is probably too old to run for the Democratic presidential nomination for a third time, though in some ways he has never been more influential within the party.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Khanna, 49, and Ocasio-Cortez, 36, are significantly younger and would not require asking voters to elect the third consecutive octogenarian president after never electing one before.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4638950\/troy-jackson-moves-forward-maine-senate-bid-replace-graham-platner\/\"><strong>TROY JACKSON FILES EXPLORATORY BID TO REPLACE GRAHAM PLATNER<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Most Democrats will move on from the Platner controversy by 2028, which is a lifetime away in the modern news cycle.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But there isn\u2019t enough room for three candidates in the socialist lane of the 2028 Democratic race, and this could be one of the factors that winnows that segment of the presidential field.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Two of three socialist-leaning Democrats backing Platner may face 2028 fallout<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2659,"featured_media":2626445,"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\/03\/032426_WEX_OCASIO_CORTEZ-26.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[11331,4326,5894,12428],"class_list":["post-2626444","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-11331","tag-policy","tag-politics","tag-socialism"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/032426_WEX_OCASIO_CORTEZ-26.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2626444","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\/2659"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2626444"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2626444\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2626448,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2626444\/revisions\/2626448"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2626445"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2626444"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2626444"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2626444"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}