Democrats break with scandal-plagued Graham Platner, warn of 'civil war' in party
Former Cuomo aide Melissa DeRosa said moderate Democrats 'will not cry tears should we lose Maine'
By Alex Miller Fox News
Published May 27, 2026 11:00am EDT
Top Democratic officials and lawmakers are breaking with Democratic Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner as his past blunders and online history stack up.
Platner’s ascendency to the top of the ticket in Vacationland broke with the Democratic establishment in Washington, D.C., and since Maine Gov. Janet Mills exited from the race, questions about whether he is the right choice to take on Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, have exploded.
Much of that is fueled by scandals that have cropped up seemingly week after week, be it a tattoo on his chest of a Nazi symbol or inflammatory posts online.
Some in the Democratic Party warn that it’s spurring a "civil war" between the moderate and left wings of the party.
Melissa DeRosa, former New York Mayor Andrew Cuomo’s chief of staff, told Fox News’ Bret Baier that Platner’s rise and ensuing questions of his fitness as a candidate are demonstrative of the bubbling conflict within the Democratic Party.
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https://www.foxnews.com/politics/democrats-break-scandal-plagued-graham-platner-warn-civil-war-party
