Weird Democrat Candidates May Save GOP Majorities
Unhinged Democratic candidates offer Republicans unexpected opportunities in the upcoming midterms.
by David Catron
May 24, 2026, 10:16 PM
One hardly has to be a political junkie to know that midterm elections rarely turn out well for the party that holds the White House. It has happened only once this century, when the Republicans picked up 8 House seats and one Senate seat during the first midterm election of George W. Bush’s presidency. There are two factors at play this year, however, which may allow the GOP to duplicate that feat. First, the leader of the Republican Party has built his political career on defying history. Second, the Democrats have recruited a very large number of truly weird candidates—even more than usual. The corporate “news” media has ignored their oddities but the word is getting out.
The most prominent exemplar of these strange Democrats is Texas Senate nominee James Talarico. The Lone Star Liberty PAC released a new ad featuring videos of Talarico saying things that all but guarantee his loss in November regardless of which Republican he faces. For example, when asked to name something he loves other than friends or family he answered “I love the trans children.” He is also shown saying, “There are many more than two biological sexes. In fact, there are six.” Speaking about immigration policy he says, “Our southern border should be like our front porch. There should be a giant welcome mat out front.” Talarico is now posing as a populist, but it’s unlikely that this masquerade will fool many Texans.
Another faux populist nominated by the Democrats is Graham Platner, who hopes to unseat longtime Republican Senator Susan Collins in Maine. Like Talarico, however, Platner is hoping the voters will overlook liabilities like his Nazi tattoo and highly offensive online comments, including posts “insulting the U.S. Army, mocking a Purple Heart recipient, using slurs and expressing support for political violence.” And it gets worse, including posts about crude acts in portable toilets and obscene bathroom graffiti. This creepy stuff doesn’t fit very well with the “everyman” image he has attempted to cultivate. When he was asked about this growing catalogue of controversial statements and behavior, Platner told The Advocate,
People are digging through my entire life because I, frankly, am running for Senate on an anti-establishment platform … I have not been living a life under the assumption that I was going to run for Senate someday. I’ve lived a normal life, fighting in wars, working jobs, and being online like anyone else. We need a politics that reflects that normal people make mistakes and grow. Most people in this country have a lot more in common with each other than they do with the people in power. If we want a politics for regular people, we have to accept that regular people evolve.
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https://spectator.org/weird-democrat-candidates-may-save-gop-majorities/
