Should personal scandals matter at the ballot box?
How much do democrats really care about questions of character for potential political leaders? And in an era of hyper-polarization… has the calculus changed?
Listen 51:11
Graham Platner, Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, speaks at a campaign event Friday, June 5, 2026, in Bar Harbor, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Democrats are favored to flip the house in the upcoming midterm elections, but wresting control away from Republicans in the Senate looks more difficult. One state in particular could make all the difference.
Maine — a state known for its independent-minded voters — is bracing for a fierce battle between five-term Republican incumbent Susan Collins and an upstart oyster farmer and Iraq War veteran, Graham Platner.
Platner garnered early enthusiasm after billing himself as a working-class everyman with a progressive agenda. But his campaign has since been marred by scandal after scandal: a tattoo with Nazi symbolism, questionable online posts about sexual assault, cheating allegations — and now, an alleged pattern of troubling behavior toward women he’s dated.
Despite all of it, Platner has maintained broad support — both within the party and among voters — and he’s poised to win tomorrow’s democratic primary.
Today: How much do democrats really care about the personal scandals of potential political leaders? How much is that weighed against policies and the ability to beat the other side? And has that calculus changed in recent years?
Guests:
- Solomon Jones, Philadelphia Inquirer columnist and WURD host
- Kelly Dittmar, political science professor at Rutgers University
- Michael Shepherd, political editor for the Bangor Daily News
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Air Date: May 26, 2026 1:00 pm
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