Staff Reports
The drama in the Maine Senate race went from messy to medieval this week, and Dana Perino on Fox’s The Five didn’t hold back. Her argument was simple: Democrats only “turned on” Graham Platner when the numbers said he might lose to Susan Collins — not because of principle, not because of concern for women, but because of electability. That claim lands like a punchline that also happens to be true enough to sting.
Perino’s blunt take: polling, not principle
Perino pointed to the timing of the collapse in Democratic support after Politico published an allegation that a woman accused Graham Platner of sexual assault. Platner has denied the allegation, calling it “categorically untrue,” but within hours top Democrats and party groups publicly urged him to withdraw. Perino’s point: the party turned away only when internal and public polling made Platner look like a general‑election liability against Susan Collins. Translation: politics over principle, and admission of that truth on national TV makes everyone a little uncomfortable.
Media handling and unanswered questions
Perino also called out reporters, saying the accuser handed multiple corroborating sources to one outlet but that not all those sources were contacted. The networks and newspapers will argue they followed journalistic standards; critics will say the press sat on parts of the story until the moment it could do maximum political damage. Either way, the media’s behavior here raises legitimate questions about selective reporting and timing — not the least of which is why earlier controversies around Platner didn’t prompt the same national exodus.
Political fallout: a party in panic and a GOP ready to pounce
The practical result is chaos for Maine Democrats. The DSCC and Senate leaders publicly demanded Platner step aside and warned they wouldn’t spend on the race if he stayed on the ballot. Platner reportedly offered conditions before he’d quit — like picking his own successor — which Perino rightly mocked: when you’re hanging on by a thread, you don’t get to set the terms. Meanwhile Republican groups are already lining up a multi‑million dollar ad plan to define any replacement candidate before Democrats can. This is textbook opportunism, and Republicans smell blood in the water.
What to watch next — and the real political lesson
The coming days will show if Platner withdraws and who the Democrats pick as a replacement — and whether that person can unite the party’s base and establishment. Polls in Maine were mixed before this blew up, which explains the frantic calculus: some surveys had Collins ahead, others had Platner leading. In the end, voters may reward steadiness over theater. After months of drama and reckless consultants, maybe Mainers would rather have a predictable senator than a headline. If Democrats prioritize winning, they’ll prove it. If they prioritize optics and internal feuds, the state will notice — and so will the rest of the country.
