{"id":2626839,"date":"2026-07-08T16:41:02","date_gmt":"2026-07-08T20:41:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/republicans-tie-battleground-democrats-to-graham-platner\/"},"modified":"2026-07-08T16:41:27","modified_gmt":"2026-07-08T20:41:27","slug":"republicans-tie-battleground-democrats-to-graham-platner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/republicans-tie-battleground-democrats-to-graham-platner\/","title":{"rendered":"Republicans tie battleground Democrats to Graham Platner"},"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\">14<\/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%2Frepublicans-tie-battleground-democrats-to-graham-platner%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=2626839&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>Graham Platner, the democratic Senate nominee in Maine, has become a liability for Democrats nationwide as Republicans attempt to link other candidates to his scandals during <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democrats-are-the-real-threat-to-democracy-just-ask-the-green-party\/\" title=\"... Are The Real Threat To Democracy \u2014 Just Ask The Green ...\">key battleground races<\/a>. Despite calls for him to withdraw due to sexual assault allegations, Platner has not stepped down, leading to increased political repercussions. Several prominent Democrats, including Elaine Luria and others, have publicly urged him to resign, and some former supporters like Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren have rescinded their backing. The controversy has also affected down-ballot races, such as Maine\u2019s 2nd District and Pennsylvania\u2019s 7th District, where candidates are distancing themselves from Platner amid allegations of sexual misconduct. Republican opponents are leveraging the situation to attack Democratic candidates and portray the party as compromised. Simultaneously occurring, many Democrats beleive the scandal will soon fade from voters\u2019 minds and criticize GOP efforts to nationalize the race through Platner\u2019s issues. The race remains uncertain, with Platner\u2019s future and the Democratic strategy to handle the scandal still unresolved.  <\/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\"><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/maine\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"193\">Maine<\/a> Democratic Senate nominee <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/graham-platner\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"22643\">Graham Platner<\/a> has become a problem for Democratic campaigns across the country as the GOP begins tying candidates in <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/2026-election\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"11675\">battleground races<\/a> to the scandal-plagued Platner.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">GOP campaign operatives in both Senate and House races have aimed to tie the disgraced Maine Democrat to other candidates in some of the most competitive seats across the country, as Platner has still not dropped out of the race. <\/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\/4640953\/republicans-tie-battleground-democrats-to-graham-platner\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Republicans tie battleground Democrats to Graham Platner<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4640955\/nebraska-senate-hopeful-dan-osborn-rejects-claim-he-helped-recruit-platner\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Nebraska Senate hopeful Dan Osborn rejects claim he helped recruit Platner<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4640522\/democratic-party-limited-options-graham-platner-maine-senate-race\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Democrats have limited leverage to get Graham Platner out of Maine Senate race<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cElaine Luria dismissed serious sexual assault allegations against Graham Platner as a \u2018shiny new thing\u2019 and a \u2018scare tactic,\u2019 disgraceful comments that are beneath anyone <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ex-clinton-lawyer-comes-short-of-admitting-fbi-raid-is-part-of-effort-to-bar-trump-from-running-for-re-election\/\" title=\"Ex-Clinton Lawyer Comes Short of Admitting FBI Raid Is Part of Effort to Bar Trump From Running for Re-Election\">seeking public office<\/a>,\u201d National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Richard Hudson (NC) <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/RepHudsonNC\/status\/2074601712204083227\">wrote on X<\/a> in response to the former congresswoman\u2019s comments on Platner. \u201cLuria should apologize, and every member should condemn these heinous remarks.\u201d<\/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\">In the same interview, the former Democratic representative from Virginia <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/TeamElaineLuria\/status\/2074611567216185667?s=20\">said<\/a> she believes Platner \u201cshould step down\u201d and that she is \u201cdisappointed in Democratic leadership who\u2019s been propping him up.\u201d Luria is fighting to flip one of the most competitive seats in the country, labeled a \u201ctoss-up\u201d by the nonpartisan <em>Cook Political Report<\/em>, as she runs against Rep. Jen Kiggans (R-VA).<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A handful of big Democratic names were staunch backers of Platner, such as Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) and Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), who have since rescinded their support and called on the candidate to drop out. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Maine Auditor Matt Dunlap, the Democratic nominee for the battleground 2nd District, could be most at risk as a result of the Platner fallout. Dunlap backed Platner and campaigned alongside him. Sen. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/susan-collins\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"1302\">Susan Collins\u2019s<\/a> (R-ME) home base lies in the northern Maine district, where she is likely to run up the score and make it more difficult for Dunlap to hold on to the seat, vacated by retiring Rep. Jared Golden (D-ME).<\/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\">The NRCC <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nrcc.org\/2026\/07\/07\/matt-dunlap-empowered-graham-platner-heres-everything-he-was-ok-with\/\">criticized<\/a> Dunlap and his ties to Platner earlier this week.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Even Democrats who did not support Platner are feeling the repercussions of the candidate and his scandals.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The National Republican Senatorial Committee has aimed its attacks at Democratic Senate candidates in competitive states, claiming they did not speak out against Platner until Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) gave them \u201cpermission to do so.\u201d <\/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\">But Democrats aren\u2019t sweating the attacks.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cRepublicans do this every cycle \u2014 try to nationalize races by tying battleground Democrats to the political villain of the moment \u2014 and it never moves the needle,\u201d one Democratic campaign operative told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. \u201cThey just end up burning cash for very little payoff. By November, Platner will be old news and voters will have moved on.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201c[Former Democratic Ohio Sen.] Sherrod Brown spent 32 years doing the radical left and Chuck Schumer\u2019s bidding,\u201d NRSC regional press secretary Nick Puglia wrote. \u201cThis time is no different.\u201d<\/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\">Brown is making another Senate bid following his 2024 loss to Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-OH) and after Schumer successfully recruited him to make another run. The Ohio Democrat <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/SherrodBrown\/status\/2074298320248263119?s=20\">called on<\/a> Platner to drop out on Monday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Pennsylvania GOP is going hard against Democrats in the state with links to the Maine Democrat. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe are seeing in real time how terrible the Democrats\u2019 chosen savior in Maine, Graham Platner, has turned out to be,\u201d the Pennsylvania GOP <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/PAGOP\/status\/2074603457353339314?s=20\">wrote on X<\/a>. \u201cBut did you know that Pennsylvania has its very own Graham Platner?\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\">\u201cBob Brooks is the Democratic nominee for Congress in PA-7,\u201d they continued. \u201cThis is the same man who has <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >continuously disparaged volunteer firefighters<\/a>, calling them \u2018scabs and sh*tbags.&#8217;\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Pennsylvania GOP\u2019s post included an artificially generated photo of Brooks and Platner campaigning together.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-x wp-block-embed-x\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">We are seeing in real time how terrible the Democrats&#8217; chosen savior in Maine, Graham Platner, has turned out to be. But did you know that Pennsylvania has its very own Graham Platner?<\/p>\n<p>Bob Brooks is the Democratic nominee for Congress in PA-7. This is the same man who has\u2026 <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/0unDz15tt0\">pic.twitter.com\/0unDz15tt0<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 PA GOP (@PAGOP) <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/PAGOP\/status\/2074603457353339314?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">July 7, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script> <\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Pennsylvania\u2019s 7th District is another one of the 17 seats labeled a \u201ctoss-up,\u201d as Democrat Bob Brooks seeks to oust Republican Rep. Ryan Mackenzie.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cPlatner should drop out,\u201d Brooks\u2019s campaign told the <em>Washington Examiner <\/em>in a statement.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Democrats on Capitol Hill and beyond began calling for Platner to drop out of the race after a <em>Politico<\/em> <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2026\/07\/06\/graham-platner-sexual-assault-allegation-00987737\">report<\/a> detailing allegations from a woman who previously dated Platner that he sexually assaulted her while severely intoxicated five years ago. A separate report came forward just a day later when a former girlfriend of Platner came forward with allegations that he would <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/politics\/2026\/07\/07\/ex-girlfriend-graham-platner-says-he-removed-condoms-without-consent\/\">remove condoms during sex<\/a> without her consent.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Platner hasn\u2019t withdrawn, but he posted a video 11 minutes after the <em>Politico<\/em> story was released, saying he was taking time to \u201creflect\u201d on his campaign\u2019s \u201cbest path forward.\u201d Under Maine law, if Platner drops out by July 13, the state party chooses the replacement. It\u2019s not currently clear how the party would go about doing that.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4639595\/the-democrat-adopting-gop-spending-playbook\/\">MEET THE DEMOCRAT ADOPTING THE GOP\u2019S SPENDING PLAYBOOK<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIf Platner were a Republican, Democrats would be tying every Republican in a competitive race to him,\u201d GOP strategist Dennis Lennox told the <em>Washington Examiner.<\/em> \u201cThat\u2019s exactly what they did with Todd Akin in 2012.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe bigger story is that Democrats had multiple chances to deal with Platner and didn\u2019t. They defended him until it became obvious he couldn\u2019t win,\u201d he continued. \u201cNow, with their last chance to replace him slipping away, they\u2019re trying to run from him.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>GOP links Maine Democrat Platner to battleground races nationwide<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3691,"featured_media":2626840,"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\/07\/AP26161070340162-e1783533766824.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[3685,6571,65649,5894,3756],"class_list":["post-2626839","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-democrats","tag-elections","tag-graham-platner","tag-politics","tag-republicans"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/AP26161070340162-e1783533766824.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2626839","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\/3691"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2626839"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2626839\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2626843,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2626839\/revisions\/2626843"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2626840"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2626839"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2626839"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2626839"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}