Controversy surrounding Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner intensified Monday as “The View” panel clashed over whether his candidacy should continue despite mounting scandals, Fox News reports.
Co-host Sunny Hostin delivered a blunt assessment, labeling Platner “a liar, a racist, an anti-Semite” and a “homophobe,” yet stopped short of calling for his exit from the race. She argued that the broader political stakes, namely Democrats’ push to regain control of Congress, complicate the decision. Hostin said the current balance of power leaves insufficient checks on the White House and suggested flipping Maine’s Senate seat could help restore institutional balance.
“So he’s a liar, a racist, an anti-Semite. He’s a homophobe,” Hostin said. “So he has all the things and character does matter.”
“But we have someone that has almost unbridled power in the White House at this point,” she continued. “There are no checks and balances and the only way that we can maybe bring a bit of our democracy back is by having a Congress that functions and that has these checks and balances. And I do think one of the only ways is to win that seat in Maine.”
Other co-hosts were far less conflicted over the controversial candidate. Alyssa Farah Griffin dismissed Platner outright, arguing his personal scandals pale in comparison to what she described as a pattern of offensive and extreme behavior. She pointed to past remarks in which he allegedly insulted a Purple Heart recipient, disparaged fallen Navy SEAL Chris Kyle, minimized the challenges of reporting sexual assault in the military, and used anti-gay slurs in posts as recently as 2021. Griffin also referenced his self-identification as a communist and a tattoo linked to Nazi imagery that he later covered.
“This guy just seems like a guy of not very good character,” Griffin said, adding that Democrats have alternative paths to securing a Senate majority without backing him.
Sara Haines echoed that sentiment, arguing Platner is unfit for public office. She highlighted a resurfaced video in which he insulted a wounded veteran who had taken fire to protect his team.
“This man should be nowhere near Congress,” Haines said. “We’ve already got a wealth of people we need out. We’re not sending one like this in.”
The candidate has faced a cascade of damaging revelations in recent weeks. Among them are resurfaced Reddit posts featuring inflammatory remarks about veterans and political opponents, scrutiny over a tattoo tied to Nazi symbolism, and reports of sexually explicit messages exchanged with other women during his marriage.
Those messages were confirmed by the campaign after a Wall Street Journal report revealed that Platner’s wife, Amy Gertner, alerted a campaign aide to their existence as staff evaluated potential vulnerabilities following his Senate launch, according to Fox News. According to the report, Gertner discovered the texts months after their 2024 marriage.
The growing list of controversies has also drawn attention to a little-known Maine law that could allow Democrats to replace a nominee on the general election ballot after the primary, which appears to be an option now being discussed as pressure mounts. Notably, concerns about Platner are not new.
Months earlier, “The View” panel had already criticized his past, particularly the tattoo controversy. Haines rejected the idea that it could be dismissed as a youthful mistake, arguing the nature of the imagery went far beyond a simple lapse in judgment.
“There are 1.5 million people in Maine,” she said at the time. “I’m sure there is someone else they can get now.”