Maine’s Graham Platner meets with Democratic senators amid controversy - BERITAJA

WASHINGTON — Graham Platner visited Capitol Hill connected Tuesday to meet pinch Democrats amid caller controversy.

So far, nary legislator has reneged connected their support for him aft reports emerged complete the play that Platner’s woman privately alerted a run charismatic that he sent sexually definitive matter messages to different women early successful their marriage.

A root pinch knowledge of the meetings said they had been “on the books for a while” and were unrelated to the caller stories.

Speaking to reporters Tuesday afternoon, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said he met pinch Platner. He reiterated that he has endorsed Platner but dodged questions about whether the revelations interest him and whether he’s satisfied pinch his explanations.

“I endorsed Graham Platner,” Schumer said. “We’re going to hit Susan Collins and return backmost the Senate.”

Platner is the presumptive nominee to take on Republican Sen. Susan Collins successful the pivotal 2026 race; Schumer initially backed Gov. Janet Mills successful the superior and threw his support to Platner only aft she dropped out.

A personification acquainted pinch the gathering told Beritaja the gathering betwixt Platner and Schumer was “productive” and reiterated that Democrats are “ready to return connected Susan Collins” this fall.

Democrats opinionated by Platner see Sen. Ruben Gallego of Arizona, who said the sexts won’t determine the race.

“The drip, drip that’s really happening is Americans are really, really wounded by the truth that state is still high. Food is still high. They can’t bargain a home. You can’t spend rent,” Gallego told reporters. “They’re not going to attraction about matter messages and everything other for illustration that that happened years ago, particularly erstwhile it was worked retired betwixt spouses.”

Later successful the afternoon, Platner met pinch respective senators astatine the office of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. Among those attending were his chap New Englanders Sens. Peter Welch of Vermont and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, who precocious visited Maine to rally pinch Platner.

Platner was wrong for much than an hr and a half, pinch a group of Republican staffers opinionated extracurricular to protestation him. When he finished, he bolted to his car and near without speaking to a gaggle of reporters shouting questions astatine him.

Welch said earlier the gathering Platner has “got questions he’s sewage to answer, and he’s going to do that.”

“There’s adjacent questions that immoderate campaigner has the load of answering,” he said. “Some are personal, immoderate are governmental connected their position, and those are ones that this campaigner is going to person to address.”

Platner, a governmental novice moving arsenic a populist outsider, has struck a chord pinch voters successful Maine. Mills, his erstwhile Democratic rival, dropped retired of the primary aft having grounded to summation traction. She has not said she’ll jump backmost successful the race.

Platner led Collins by 9 points successful a caller University of New Hampshire poll and by 7 points successful a Pan Atlantic Research poll.

His squad is projecting assurance contempt the controversies.

“Our run is concerned pinch the issues that matter to Mainers. And Mainers are much concerned pinch electing leaders who will conflict for them and the issues they attraction about,” a Platner run charismatic said. “That is why Graham has built a activity of 15,000 volunteers, powered by small-dollar donors, that will triumph this Senate spot for moving group successful November.”

But Republicans statement that Collins has a wont of overperforming the polls connected predetermination night, including successful 2020.

“She’s ever had a reliable race,” said Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., a erstwhile chair of the Senate GOP run arm. “Every title for Susan Collins has been a reliable title successful Maine, arsenic the only Republican successful the Northeast — House aliases Senate. And she ever is simply a reliable race, and she’s the toughest campaigner to beat, too.”

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., an early Platner endorser, stood by him Tuesday erstwhile he was asked whether he has concerns.

“Well, location are immoderate concerns that immoderate of the wealthiest group successful this state successful their Republican ace PACs are prepared to walk $100 cardinal successful the authorities of Maine. You know, really galore group unrecorded successful Maine? Not galore people. That’s an bonzer magnitude of money,” he said. “Now, why do we deliberation that Republican ace PACs controlled by billionaires want to walk an bonzer magnitude of money to conclusion Graham Platner? That’s a bully logic to ballot for him.”

Other Democrats had nary remark connected the Platner situation, including Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, who is moving his ain re-election race, and Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, who caucuses pinch the Democrats, who said he has a individual argumentation not to “take a position successful an predetermination involving immoderate sitting colleague” from immoderate state.

The lone Democratic professional of Platner was Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, who had already fought pinch him and declined to backmost him.

“Where’s Phustle?” Fetterman said Tuesday, referring to the username associated pinch Platner connected the anonymous messaging level Kik. Asked whether he’s gathering pinch Platner, Fetterman snarked: “I’d emotion to. I mean, he’s a reliable guy.”

“When I was increasing up, if personification had a Nazi tattoo, you beautiful overmuch devour he’s a Nazi sympathizer,” Fetterman said. “He’s expressed vexation pinch really I dress, you know. And this asshole is connected Kik and sexting to a twelve women.”

Asked whether he’d for illustration to spot Platner aliases Collins win, Fetterman replied: “I don’t know. I conjecture we’ll see. But I’d emotion to meet Phustle.”