David Smith

Blue Hill, Maine

There are only a few hours until polls close but national figures continue to weigh in on Graham Platner and the Democratic primary race for US Senate in Maine.

Ro Khanna, a Democratic congressman from California, posted a social media video of himself talking with Platner on a floating dock in Sorrento, Maine. “I am supporting @grahamformaine today because of his passion for opposing war,” Khanna wrote. “An honest conversation about the human toll and his journey.”

Senator Tina Smith of Minnesota also threw her weight behind Platner, posting that he would win “because he has connected with Mainers on what they really care about” and “because he’s not part of the Washington establishment.

Other congressional Democrats are digging in to oppose Platner, however. Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey told CNN: “What I would suggest is that Graham Platner get off if he wins today, which I assume he will because there’s no one actively campaigning against him, that he get off the ballot and let another Democrat step in, that the main Democratic Party put somebody else in.

“I mean, if this were in Jersey and you had a candidate who abused women, obviously has a Nazi tattoo – that now it’s clear that he knew was a Nazi tattoo – not to mention many of his other lies and his comments and extremist comments, pro-Hamas, a terrorist organization, other things of that nature, he should get off the ballot. In Jersey, we’d throw him off the ballot or bury him under the Meadowlands. I mean, I don’t understand how somebody like this is going to represent our party. And I think the best action would be for him to leave and get somebody else who’s qualified onto the ballot.”

Gottheimer added: “If you’re a woman and looking at what, how can you accept somebody who abused women? That’s going to affect us in other parts of the country and campaigns and I think really be an issue for the party.”

Platner has said he got the tattoo while drinking as a Marine in 2007 and was unaware of its association with the Nazis until it became a campaign issue; he has since had it covered up. He has vehemently denied physically abusing women.

Jeff Cohen, co-founder of the progressive group RootsAction, told the Guardian: “As an antiwar organization, RootsAction has been impressed by the way Graham Platner has brought his antiwar message to the voters of Maine, offering a powerful contrast to Susan Collins who has a long record of supporting disastrous wars in the Middle East.

“Platner has had some personal problems that are concerning, but we are supporting him in hopes that Collins, at long last, is retired from the Senate.”

And Kyle Kulinski, a progressive and host of the Secular Talk show, told the Politico website: “If we’re convinced you walk the walk on policy, we’ll overlook personal issues. The days of weak apologetic Dems are over. Our tea party is here.”