New York Times Opinion panelists on Saturday debated Democrat Graham Platner's Maine U.S.Senate campaign on "The Opinions," asking whether his scandals, outsider image and support ahead of Tuesday's primary show how deeply President Donald Trump has changed voters' expectations for character in politics."Obviously, he’s not Donald Trump.
I mean, he is the gateway drug to Trumpism.Let’s put it this way: If he wins and [Texas Senate candidate James] Talarico loses, the cry across the land, in that Democratic consultant class, will be: ‘Find me more Platners.
We need more Platners.These are the guys who know how to win.’ And where have I heard this before?" columnist David French said.The discussion on The New York Times Opinion podcast "The Opinions" centered on Platner’s bid to challenge Sen.
Susan Collins, R-Maine, and the repeated controversies surrounding his campaign.Columnist Jamelle Bouie argued that Platner should not be compared directly to Trump, even while describing the Maine candidate in blunt terms.New York Times opinion panelists debated whether Graham Platner’s controversies showed how Trump-era politics had changed voters’ standards for candidates.(Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)THE GROWING LIST OF CONTROVERSIES THREATENING DEMOCRAT GRAHAM PLATNER'S MAINE SENATE BID"You know, I don’t think it’s fair.
And I say that because, so far, what we’ve learned about Platner is that, for lack of a better term, he’s kind of a dirtbag.Just a dirtbaggy kind of guy," Bouie said.Bouie said Platner's flaws placed him closer to Sen.
John Fetterman, D-Pa., than to Trump or Texas Republican Senate nominee Ken Paxton.Fetterman successfully campaigned on a more working-class image in his 2022 victory."That’s versus Trump, who isn’t just a reprehensible person, but is actively engaged in harming other people in his private life, right?" Bouie said."And I’d say the same for Paxton: not just a slimy guy, but a guy whose modus operandi, as a human ...