Graham Platner, Avowed Israel Critic, Drops Out of Maine Senate Race After Sexual Assault Allegation
The
exit upends one of the Democrats' most closely watched Senate races, as
the party now rapidly moves to select a replacement to face Susan
Collins Etan Nechin --
Graham
Platner, Maine's Democratic Senate candidate who gained national
prominence buoyed by his criticism of Israel and AIPAC, suspended his
campaign on Wednesday after bleeding local and national support
following a Politico report detailing an alleged sexual assault.[... paywall]
Why haaretz? Why not? At a guess, Cheyenne Mader-Hunt is not finished in her quest. In DC, she'd worked for Klobuchar, on one of the Trump impeachments.
She was deeply instrumental in the Swawell situation. She is young and opinionated, although many from California are.
Politico noting possible Maine ballot replacements:
Jordan Wood
Wood is another former Senate candidate, but he switched to run for the state’s 2nd District after Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine) decided he wouldn’t attempt reelection. Wood finished third in that race with state Auditor Matt Dunlap winning the nomination after a ranked-choice count.
“To beat Susan Collins,
we need a candidate who can provide a true contrast and run an
unapologetically progressive campaign: Passing Medicare for All.
Stopping ICE terrorizing our streets. Standing up to Donald Trump’s abuse of power,” Wood wrote on X on Tuesday, saying he was “continuing conversations with voters across Maine if I should enter an open Senate race.”
A former staffer of former Rep. Katie Porter (D-Calif.), Wood may have trouble courting Platner
supporters who want someone from outside of D.C. But he posted solid
fundraising during his House run and has worked hard to keep his name in
the fold.
Editor's Note: This story has been updated to include
new developments, including women coming forward with specific
allegations referenced in earlier reporting and calls from Democratic
leaders for Rep. Eric Swalwell to step down.
The influencer behind the now public allegations against gubernatorial candidate Rep. Eric Swalwell has academic and political connections with UC Irvine Law professor and rival candidate Katie Porter. However, the former congresswoman denies any direct relationship.
Also of possible interest, two paragraphs later the item continues -
Swalwell denied the allegations
of inappropriate behavior with female staffers, which his camp
previously argued were being amplified by online influencers connected
to his political opponents. Several of his staff members have reportedly
left the campaign in light of the — now public — allegations.
In
the weeks leading up to the women coming forward, there were
accusations that the influencers alluding to forthcoming allegations
were connected to one of Swalwell's political rivals.
CBS News California investigated the connection then reached out to both Hunt and Porter to publicly clarify the relationship.
Hunt enrolled at UC Irvine Law in the fall of 2018, as Porter was running for Congress. Porter continued living in on-campus housing throughout her time in Congress while she was on leave from her teaching position.
"They don't
have a relationship to speak of," said Peter Opitz, a Porter campaign
spokesperson, in an email when asked about the connections. "In fact,
Katie endorsed a different candidate when she was running in a
neighboring district."
"With
regard to Congressman Swalwell, I have seen allegations coming from
women staffers. They are very, very troubling allegations," she said.
"It is those women's stories to tell when they are ready, and I hope
that they feel safe and supported if they choose to do so."
When pressed on whether she had seen any evidence of the allegations, Porter clarified, "I have not spoken to any women[...]
Crabgrass bets Jordan Wood does not get selected to run in Platner's place. Yet, stranger things happen.
The head-hunting against progressive Platner did not just happen. The rape accuser had had discussions with multiple people before taking her public shot at Platner. Among them the woman in the left in that photo.
“Get out of my fucking shot!” Porter said after the employee came into view.
Video
of the exchange, exclusively obtained by POLITICO on Wednesday, shows
an online conversation between Porter and then-Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm
in July 2021. Several minutes in, Porter’s staffer interjected to
correct something the Democratic representative had said about electric
vehicles. Porter then reprimanded her employee, who had also previously appeared periodically in the background during the recording.
“You also were in my shot before that. Stay out of my shot,” Porter said.
The
staffer, whom POLITICO is not identifying out of privacy concerns and
who was not the source of the video, declined to comment.
POLITICO’s reporting comes a day after a video went viral of Porter threatening to walk out of an interview with a California CBS News reporter. The newly surfaced meeting will almost certainly add to criticism of Porter’s judgment and temperament as the front-runner in the race to succeed California Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Might Jordan Wood have been that staffer? In any event, Crabgrass, as written above, does not expect him to get Platner's place.
I have insufficient knowledge, beyond TikTok and such to be able to say whether judgment and temperament of Ms. Hunt parallels that of her mentor. I am unimpressed, however, with Hunt's work product. Opinions and head chopping against Platner and Swawell, and Klobuchar's staffer on impeaching Trump, she posts short opinionated stuff which seems superficial and repetitive and egoistic in my judgment.
BOTTOM LINE: Hunt, who she is, reportedly worked on the Platner rape accuser's prep, and whether the accuser would have publicly gone after Platner's career absent Hunt's input is known to them but not to me.
In any event it seems an anti-progressive pile-on, featuring Gillibrand and Schumer at the early head of reporting being first to take up cudgels against Platner, a progressive as was Franken, when earlier that pair took up parallel cudgels to attack Al over a bad visual joke. Like a Me-too thing against progressives, or what? And bless Ms. Hunt in pursuing her chosen career path.
Bernie was pragmatic. The Crabgrass wish is he'd have been less so. This entire shit-show likely is giving Susan Collins another term, and it surely seems Platner would have been good in the job.
Whoever gets the nod to replace Platner's candidacy will likely be referred to as "the Maine Mop-Up Champion," which is how Crabgrass will regard things, this being the last post here about Maine politics, outsiders, etc.
_______________FURTHER UPDATE______________
misogyny - NOT LEAVING THINGS WITHOUT THIS
Hunt can speak for herself, at length, in a fair setting. She has, and the issue is real and pressing enough, so, this CBS interview link. Make of it what you will, it is the woman speaking at length, of her career path. Posting of it is helpful.
