Politico: Maine Kampf Continues for Democrats

You’d think that Maine Democrats solved most of their problems by dumping their violent Nazi-tatted Kik creeper and alleged rapist off the November ballot. Unfortunately for the Democrats, Graham Platner may turn out to be more of a symptom than a root cause. And their solution may end up making both worse rather than better. 

Rather than rethink the platform espoused by a man who wore a Totenkopf tattoo and professed himself to be a communist, the party wants to keep the rhetoric while going light on the Nazi and commie references. Now that Democrat insiders have to choose a candidate who can check those boxes, their activist base is sharpening their knives against whoever might somehow emerge from that smoke-filled backroom, Politico reports:

Maine Democrats want to hold onto Graham Platner’s progressive base — but they can’t agree on who is best positioned to carry the torch.

That indecision is creating a fractured field heading into an unpredictable late July nominating convention for one of the most important Senate races on the 2026 map. Now, various candidates are rushing to prove they are the most aligned with Platner’s policies, without tying themselves too closely to the disgraced oysterman.

Labor organizations and the national progressive organizing group Our Revolution are backing former Maine Senate President Troy Jackson, who campaigned with Platner during the primary and got the endorsement of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) for his unsuccessful gubernatorial campaign earlier this year. Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), a former Platner surrogate, is also behind Jackson, as are dozens of current and former state lawmakers.

But some state legislators and local activists who had backed Platner are flocking to Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, who similarly ran as a progressive in the gubernatorial primary. And former public health official Nirav Shah is touting more progressive policy positions than he did when he ran for governor in an attempt to break off some Platner supporters. Behind the scenes, he is also working to recruit former organizers from Platner’s campaign, according to two people familiar with the strategy and granted anonymity to discuss it.

Oh, yes, that’s a great strategy. Democrats definitely should tie people affiliated with Platner and his serial lies onto the campaign of their next anointed replacement. Susan Collins will never see that coming!

And while we’re at it, why would anyone seek the endorsements of the people who foisted Platner on voters in the first place? Bernie Sanders did more than most to promote a Nazi-tatted, middle-aged mooch while perpetuating the “working class” false narrative that imploded over the past two weeks. Ro Khanna was arguably worse, insisting that he “believed” Lyndsey Fifield while arguing that Maine voters owed Platner a Senate seat for “grace and redemption.” In fact, anyone who endorsed Platner or continued to do so after the NY Times’ first exposé about his violent behavior toward Fifield should be disqualified from this conversation entirely. 

In other words, the socialist struggle continues. We could even call it Maine Kampf. (In fact, we have done so, several times now.)

Interestingly, and perhaps tellingly, Politico never mentions the real animating issue from Platner’s campaign. When he noped out last week, Platner helpfully appended “Free Palestine” to his valedictory letter. The issue of Israel has dominated the Left in this cycle, and yet not a word about it appears in this analysis. Perhaps that’s because all of the potential replacement options have the same radical take about Israel. 

Or maybe it’s because the Democrat establishment running the nomination process in Maine now wants to downplay the Israel issue. Axios reports today that a showdown is coming in the House:

House Democrats’ internal split over a vote to cut off U.S. aid to Israel has extended to leadership, with Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) and Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-Mass.) planning to vote differently.

Why it matters: Such a divergence between the caucus’ top two leaders is exceedingly rare and underscores just how much anxiety this vote is giving some in the party.

Many House Democrats have substantive misgivings but plan to vote for the measure anyway due to growing political pressure from the left.

“There are going to be people within our own party trying to drag us over the coals,” one House Democrat told Axios on the condition of anonymity to speak candidly about the political pressures undergirding their vote.

“So you don’t get to a place of like, ‘Okay … it isn’t good for us to vote for an amendment that is poorly drafted and has all kinds of unanticipated consequences,'” the lawmaker added.

Eeeenteresting. I’d guess that Mike Johnson is forcing the vote to embarrass Massie, as well as to make Democrats cast votes that set them up as political targets no matter what they choose. If so, kudos to the House Speaker, who doesn’t have much to work with this session but seems to get the most out of what he does have. 

That’s going to be a problem in Maine, too, because the Left will make it an issue if party leaders look for someone who can appeal to the center. This is a powder keg, and the backroom process of anointing Platner’s replacement may be the spark to set off an implosion within the Democrat Party this cycle. Stay tuned …

Editor’s Note: The 2026 Midterms will determine the fate of President Trump’s America First agenda. Republicans must maintain control of both chambers of Congress.

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