WATERVILLE, Maine â Graham Platner supporters are still pining for the disgraced pol just days before the US Senate election, concerned their backup choice lacks the pizzazz needed to mobilize the base.
Almost four months after Platner was forced out of his Senate race due to a rape accusation, local Democrats at a rally for his replacement, Troy Jackson, admitted they wished Platner were still on the ticket and regretted how his political career was cut short.
“The establishment did not want him to be out there mobilizing people who had never voted before, just for change,” former Waterville Mayor Karen Heck lamented to The Post about Platner at a Jackson town hall event on Monday
“It’s another example of innuendo taking somebody down who was popular,” she added. “Not to say you don’t believe women, but there were circumstances around that allegation that were never investigated … the prosecutor should actually believe women and bring those cases forward.”
Many at Jacksonâs rally hope Platner runs again, as they miss the energy and massive crowds the scandal magnet ginned up compared to Jackson’s much milder presence, even as they are careful not to be too dismissive of the accusations against him.
Heck contended that the timing of the story on Jenny Racicot’s rape accusations against Platner just before the deadline for him to drop out was very suspicious and questioned why he isn’t being prosecuted if the allegations are credible.
When asked how she feels about Jackson as Platner’s replacement, Heck hesitated and reluctantly replied, “I’m going to vote for him.” Jackson later gave her a shoutout during his town hall, hinting that they knew each other.
Platner had a meteoric rise in Democratic politics and easily trounced establishment pick, former Gov. Janet Mills, in the Democratic primary. Billing himself as a gritty veteran and oyster farmer who will fight for the little guy, Platner was an early favorite to beat longtime Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) â before his past started catching up to him. Backers say he had the best shot on Tuesday to become the first Democrat to win Maine since 1988.
Grievances about Platner’s demise were widely held by almost every Jackson supporter who spoke with The Post about the Pine Tree State’s ultra-competitive Senate race. Most of them have gotten on board with Jackson after he was swapped in for their first-choice candidate, though admit the former logger lacks the excitement Platner once brought to politics.
Racicot accused Platner of drunkenly storming into her home in the dead of night in 2021 and forcing himself onto her. Platner vehemently denied the accusation, but dropped out nonetheless as support dried up from the party bosses.
It was the latest in an avalanche of scandals against Platner, including the Nazi tattoo on his chest, revelations that he cheated on his current wife, whom he married only three years ago, details from his raunchy and dark Reddit history that emerged, allegations that he was physically rough with past ex-girlfriends, and more.
Up until Racicot came forward with her rape accusations days before the deadline for him to drop out of the race so Democrats could easily replace him, Platner had a remarkable staying power.
“Unfortunately, we had such a small window at that time. I was upset with the Dems,” Wanda Fortin, who lives in the area and was at the Jackson event Monday, told The Post. “The way it all came down, I just thought it was pretty unfair.”
Fortin similarly suspected that Democratic operatives may have been behind the timing of the story on Racicot’s rape accusations against Platner and argued the dirt on him doesn’t seem as bad compared to “what we’ve got in the White House.”
“In hindsight, he’s gonna have to clear his name a bit, but I’m hopeful that he’ll come back into politics because I think he’s a good guy,” she added. “I think he could shed some of that negativity that surrounds him.”
Before the rape accusation emerged, Democratic primary voters had almost consistently shrugged off all his scandals.
“Platner never denied that he had some tough times. And you don’t send somebody to war and have them killing people and then think they’re coming back okay,” Barbara Van Burgel, who sat next to Fortin, said. “Unfortunately, we didn’t do much to help them, did we?”
Platner has laid low since his fall from glory. There had been chatter about him appearing at a Labor Day event, but those plans ultimately fell by the wayside as he is still politically radioactive.
He was spotted this week by The Post out on the water.
“What the fâ does it look like Iâm up to? Iâm being an oyster farmer,” Platner growled to The Post, referring to his work supplying his mother’s restaurant.
When Jackson took over, he had just over 100 days to throw together a campaign.
Jackson, who served in the Maine Senate for 16 years, worked as a logger and had kids with his second cousin, has been known to get hot under the collar. He even snapped âshut upâ at Collins during a debate.
Jackson has largely refrained from dwelling on the Platner debacle, despite stumping with the oyster farmer before the rape accusation emerged. Heâs sought to carry the torch that Platner lit â with limited success.
âYou are right. I didnât build this movement,” he told a voter in September. “Iâve been saying that all along. This isnât about Troy Jackson. But I donât even think this is about Graham. I think itâs about people across this state that know thereâs something fundamentally wrong with the way things are going.â
Lefty Democrats had pushed for Jackson, who finished third in the Maine Democratic gubernatorial primary, to take over from Platner due to his similar politics and endorsement from Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.)
Still, some Democrats were relieved Platner was pushed off the ticket.
“I was very, very anti-Graham Platner at the time. I’ve never met anyone who had Nazi tattoos for 30 years and turned out to be a good person,” Beckett Stratter, a student at Colby University, which is located in Waterville, Maine, said. Stratter votes in Wisconsin.
Maine’s Senate race is one of the most competitive in the country and a prime pickup opportunity for Democrats given that incumbent Collins is running in a blue state.
At the moment, Jackson has a 1.2 percentage point edge over Collins in the latest RealClearPolitics aggregate of polls.
