Leading House Democrat Calls on Scandal-Plagued Maine Senate Candidate to Withdraw Before Tuesday's Primary

WASHINGTON — A prominent House Democrat and member of the House Intelligence Committee is urging Graham Platner, the scandal-ridden frontrunner in Maine's Senate Democratic primary, to abandon his campaign before voters head to the polls Tuesday.

Representative Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey delivered the sharpest critique yet from a national Democrat when he told CNN that Platner should remove himself from the ballot if he wins the primary, and allow another party member to run instead.

"If he wins today, which I assume he will because there's no one actively campaigning against him, that he get off the ballot and let another Democrat step in," Gottheimer said Monday.

The comments came as Platner faces mounting controversies including allegations of violence against women, revelations that he has a tattoo identified as a Nazi symbol — which he has acknowledged knowing about — and various extremist statements, including expressions of support for the terrorist organization Hamas. Gottheimer specifically cited these issues in explaining his opposition.

"If this were Jersey and you had a candidate who abused women, obviously has a Nazi tattoo — now it's clear that he knew was a Nazi tattoo — not to mention many of his other lies and his comments and extremist comments, pro-Hamas, a terrorist organization, other things of that nature, he should get off the ballot," Gottheimer said.

The New Jersey congressman, who represents a district spanning affluent New York City suburbs and conservative rural areas, made clear he was not suggesting Democrats vote for Republican Senator Susan Collins, who is seeking reelection in November. Instead, he offered Platner what he called an "off-ramp" to step aside.

Gottheimer expressed confidence that Platner would not ultimately be the Democratic nominee facing Collins in the general election. He noted that Governor Janet Mills, who suspended her campaign last month, still appears on Tuesday's ballot and suggested her performance could signal voter frustration with the current field.

"How female voters could support someone facing these allegations, I don't know," Gottheimer said.

Mills suspended her campaign amid controversy surrounding a law she signed repealing Maine's religious vaccine exemption. Other Democratic candidates, including Bangor's David Costello, have failed to generate significant support.

Gottheimer, who has been mentioned alongside Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro as a potential future party leader, has positioned himself as a bulwark against progressive elements within the Democratic Party. He reiterated that socialists should not be considered true party members regardless of their official affiliation.

"The hard left wing is not where the mainstream of the U.S. is," he said.

Not all Democrats have abandoned Platner. James Carville, the strategist who helped Bill Clinton win the White House in 1992, defended the candidate on his podcast, pointing to Platner's oyster farming background and his combat experience.

"Maybe we need a combat veteran right on that Senate floor who is f—ed up, who every time these f—s go to vote for another war — maybe they need to look at this guy before they start sending young people off to fight wars and see what the consequence of it is," Carville said, suggesting voters should consider what war does to people.

In a lighter moment, Gottheimer also appeared to blame President Donald Trump for the New York Knicks' narrow loss to the San Antonio Spurs at Madison Square Garden on Monday night, where Trump was loudly booed by fans but welcomed by team owner James Dolan.

The Maine primary is scheduled for Tuesday.