Editorial of July 9, 2026

The Platner Parable

Finally, perhaps we can all now agree that Graham Platner is, indeed, a bad man. If not, certainly we can agree he is a terrible candidate. For those unfamiliar with his story, Platner is currently a Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate in Maine. Last month, he defeated sitting Governor Janet Mills and David Costello, a former state official, in the primary race with an astonishing 72 percent of the vote. Astonishing because Platner’s campaign has been beset with problems mostly of his own making: a tattoo remarkably similar to the Nazi Death’s Head symbol, offensive social media posts taking aim at Black and LGBTQ+ folks, sexually-explicit posts to women other than his wife, accusations of “unsettling” and “toxic” behavior toward women. And now a fresh scandal, as an ex-girlfriend has alleged that Platner forced her to have sex with him during an uninvited visit to her home in 2021.

Some readers will ask, what does this have to do with us here in Otsego County? Well, this is a cautionary tale for both the left and the right. According to the National Constitution Center, the primary responsibility of our elected officials is to “uphold and defend the U.S. Constitution, legislate on behalf of the public and govern in the best interest of their constituents.” Yet, our elected representatives—as they continue to move further and further apart in their ideology—seem to be willing to put these responsibilities aside in order to maintain or regain power.

Platner, considered to be an anti-establish candidate, received the backing of many high-profile Democrats despite his unsavory past largely because they saw him as a vehicle by which to gain another seat in the Senate. Republicans, too, have backed distasteful candidates in their pursuit of control.

According to The Council of State Governments, “a common thread shared by all constituents”–colleagues, employees, neighbors, peers and even family—“is their reliance on elected public officials to serve as their advocate, voicing concerns and interests to the government on their behalf.”

Here’s what both parties seem to have forgotten. Their responsibility is to ALL constituents. Not just the ones who voted them into office, but also the ones who didn’t. And the responsibility of our sitting elected officials—whether local, state or national—is to choose and endorse candidates who will best serve their entire voting public, not just a subsection of the body politic.

Since adoption of the modern two-party system in 1856, the party power of the U.S. presidency has changed 10 times from the incumbent to the opposition, while control of the U.S. House of Representatives has changed majorities 19 times. This would indicate that no one party will ever simply remain in power, as it should be. It would also indicate that whether Republican or Democrat, it is incumbent upon our elected officials to consider the needs and will of all the people they are chosen to represent. That is, after all, their mandate.

Neither the far left nor the far right can properly serve the people of their party, let alone the rest of their constituents, if our leaders continue to seek power and self-aggrandizement over true public service. Most of us, if we are being honest with ourselves, fall somewhere in the middle anyway.

As of this writing, Platner has not yet dropped out of the Senate race, but it seems likely that he will. He has until July 13 to do so in order for Maine Democrats to be able to replace him by July 27. In the meantime, endorsements he never should have received in the first place are dropping like flies. If our leaders don’t course correct soon—move back toward the middle, learn to compromise, and endorse the best candidates for US versus the candidates that most benefit THEM—we fear we are headed toward a second Civil War. Graham Platner is simply the latest warning shot.