Platner’s Maine Squeeze

**Leigh Ann Caldwell** (0:02)
Not only did more things come out, but he lied about it too. As they say, sometimes the cover up is worse than the crime, and I think that the countdown is on until he drops out, Peter.

**Peter Hamby** (0:17)
Welcome to The Powers That Be Daily, Pucks podcast focused on the intersection of Wall Street, Washington, Silicon Valley, and Hollywood, and the players who run it all. I'm Peter Hamby. It's Tuesday, July 7th. Today, I'm joined by Leigh Ann Caldwell to break down the Democrats' Senate fiasco in Maine, where progressive nominee Graham Platner is now reevaluating the future of his campaign after an ex-girlfriend publicly accused him of sexual assault. We've got the latest on what happens next in the midterm fight for the Senate from insiders in both parties. Leigh Ann also tells me about an intriguing new research project that's been tracking since 2024 how a core group of voters feel about Donald Trump then and now.
We'll discuss all that and much more on today's episode of The Powers That Be.

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**Peter Hamby** (1:49)
Happy Tuesday, everybody, and welcome to The Powers That Be. I'm joined today by my colleague, Leigh Ann Caldwell, to talk politics. We're going to talk about the Graham Platner scandal that continued yesterday with Politico and then CNN, both posting stories. Politico had the scoop reporting that a woman, Graham Platner, dated several years ago, claims that he assaulted her, raped her in her own house when he was drunk, we're taping this story Monday evening, actually right before the USA Belgium game. So if anything happens with the main Senate race between now and when you're hearing this, sorry. Hopefully, the US won as well, we hope.
Leigh Ann also has some fascinating new survey data. I was really fascinated by this project. Leigh Ann attracts a bunch of voters from 2024 through today, kind of like a hybrid poll slash focus group, sort of tracking their opinions about the state of the country and Donald Trump. We'll get into that. But first, the Platner story. It broke again. Kind of saw it coming. I don't know. We did hear it perhaps a little bit, not that we predicted the future, not that we did the original reporting, but Platner, the Democratic populist Senate candidate in Maine, the nominee running against Republican Susan Collins.
He had said nothing else was coming. He said, don't worry about it. Things kept coming. He had a real credibility problem, and then this story dropped on Monday. Leigh Ann, what are people in Democratic circles in Washington saying about Platner? Is he going to drop out? What do you think?

**Leigh Ann Caldwell** (3:19)
Yeah, obviously only the people that know that are Graham Platner and perhaps his family at this point. It's unclear if Platner campaign has been talking to the DS.
I doubt it. They didn't have a really good relationship even after he won the primary. He doesn't necessarily listen to them. So it is, as you said, unexpected. But I think that a big problem for Platner is that, which you just totally reminded me, is that he told a group of senators who were supporting him after the last allegations, he told them in a private meeting at a restaurant off of Capitol Hill that nothing else was going to come out, that that was it. So this defies all of that. I think that that really puts him in a major, major bind.
Not only did more things come out, but he lied about it too. And so, you know, as they say, sometimes the cover up is worse than the crime. And, you know, he's losing, he's losing support immediately. Ruben Gallego has dropped his support of him. Ro Khanna has dropped his support. So I think that the countdown is on until he drops out, Peter.

**Peter Hamby** (4:47)
Yeah, I think so too. I mean, we can maybe even record this podcast in the past tense because of all the groups coming out and supporters coming out and telling him to drop out. You've got activist groups like N Citizens United rescinding their endorsement. Gallego, Ro Khanna, we'll see if Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders do anything. Hassan Piker, Pod Save America team who are supporting him throughout all of this are now saying he should drop out. His support is just evaporating.