{"id":824,"date":"2026-06-06T12:07:56","date_gmt":"2026-06-06T12:07:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/trustedmovinggroups.com\/?p=824"},"modified":"2026-06-06T12:07:56","modified_gmt":"2026-06-06T12:07:56","slug":"democratic-dread-in-maine-from-the-politics-desk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/trustedmovinggroups.com\/?p=824","title":{"rendered":"Democratic dread in Maine: From the Politics Desk"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Welcome to <\/em>From the Politics Desk<\/em>, a daily newsletter that brings you the NBC News Politics team\u2019s latest reporting and analysis from the White House, Capitol Hill and the campaign trail.<\/em><\/p>\n

Read more Booked, busy and watching \u2018Love Island USA\u2019: How fans schedule their lives around the show<\/a><\/p>\n

In today\u2019s edition, we dive into the Democratic response to the latest Graham Platner controversy and the questions that still surround Rep. Tom Kean Jr.\u2019s absence. <\/em><\/p>\n

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Sign up to receive this newsletter in your inbox every weekday here.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u2014 Adam Wollner<\/em><\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcfa Exclusive:<\/strong> President Donald Trump<\/strong> told \u201cMeet the Press\u201d moderator Kristen Welker<\/strong> that Iranian leaders have not yet reached a deal with the U.S. to end the ongoing war because they\u2019re \u201cstrong\u201d and \u201cproud,\u201d but ultimately, he added, \u201cthey\u2019ve got no choice\u201d except to reach an agreement. Read more \u2192 <\/p>\n

Catch the rest of the interview on \u201cMeet the Press\u201d this Sunday.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Democrats navigate a new Graham Platner controversy in Maine\u2019s battleground Senate race<\/h2>\n

By Natasha Korecki, Bridget Bowman and Sahil Kapur<\/h3>\n

For the Democratic Party, the road to Maine\u2019s Senate primary is paved in dread. <\/p>\n

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All Graham Platner<\/strong> had to do was glide into Tuesday\u2019s election to clinch the state\u2019s Democratic Senate nomination, since Gov. Janet Mills<\/strong> abruptly suspended her campaign in late April. But with each passing day, the divisions inside the party have grown as some lawmakers and activists say they are increasingly alarmed over the breadth and depth of controversies and scandals facing the military veteran.<\/p>\n

As some Democrats nervously wondered what the next controversy might be, they worried he might be too risky a candidate to face off against the party\u2019s great white whale: longtime Republican incumbent Sen. Susan Collins<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Some were already researching the mechanism to replace Platner should he withdraw from the ticket when the next shoe dropped Thursday afternoon.<\/p>\n

In a lengthy report, The New York Times interviewed three of Platner\u2019s former girlfriends, who described his behavior as \u201ctoxic\u201d and \u201cunsettling\u201d at times. One woman, Lyndsey Fifield<\/strong>, recounted an argument when they dated \u2014 from roughly 2013 to 2015 \u2014 during which Platner \u201ctwisted her arm behind her back, shoved her into a bedroom and held the door closed from the other side so she couldn\u2019t get out, telling her to remain there until she was \u2018calm.\u2019\u201d Fifield also claimed that Platner knew the meaning behind a Nazi tattoo he has since covered. <\/p>\n

NBC News has not confirmed the details in the Times\u2019 report. <\/p>\n

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In an interview last night on MS NOW, Platner said some allegations in the Times story \u201care simply not true.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnything alleging physicality, anything alleging that I knew what my tattoo was, these are the statements of someone who\u2019s politically motivated,\u201d he said. He also insisted he hasn\u2019t considered dropping out of the race at any point in the past week.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, not once,\u201d Platner said. <\/p>\n

Democrats are still digesting the new report, but initial reactions ranged from wishing Platner would step aside to supporters\u2019 digging in their heels. So far, there has been no mass exodus from those who had endorsed him. <\/p>\n

Platner still intends to hold a rally scheduled for later today in Bar Harbor, and Rep. Ro Khanna<\/strong>, D-Calif., who was set to appear with him, still plans to be there, a person familiar with the plans said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe behavior described in the New York Times story was wrong and toxic,\u201d Khanna said in a statement. \u201cGraham has acknowledged that and sought redemption. The people of Maine deserve a senator who is going to stand up to the billionaire class, against genocide, and for the working class.\u201d <\/p>\n

Read more Sebastian Berhalter turned his father\u2019s tough truth into World Cup breakthrough<\/a><\/p>\n

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Likewise, some Platner backers forged ahead.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a lot harder to dislodge us because we know the man. We\u2019ve met the man,\u201d said Democratic state Rep. Valli Geiger<\/strong>, who described Platner as a generational talent. <\/p>\n

Read more \u2192<\/strong><\/p>\n

Missing congressman and his staff paint a picture of business as usual<\/h2>\n

By Scott Wong and Kyle Stewart<\/h3>\n

In recent weeks, Rep. Tom Kean Jr.<\/strong> has launched a \u201cHometown Heroes\u201d program honoring first responders in his district. He has said he\u2019s joining the Congressional Crypto Caucus. And he announced he had co-sponsored a bill to combat discrimination against Sikh Americans.<\/p>\n

Looking at those social media posts, you\u2019d have no idea that Kean, a 57-year-old New Jersey Republican, hasn\u2019t voted or been seen in public for three months.<\/p>\n

Kean\u2019s office has posted almost daily on X, Instagram and other social media sites as he deals with what his team has called a \u201cpersonal medical issue.\u201d <\/p>\n

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Absent from Washington, Kean has continued to author legislation, including a bill introduced May 29 that focuses on the screening and early detection of pre-eclampsia. He has also submitted remarks to the Congressional Record that make it appear that he was in the Capitol delivering a speech. \u201cI rise today to commemorate the 65th anniversary of the Jewish Federation of West Central New Jersey,\u201d said on Tuesday.<\/p>\n

Kean\u2019s office didn\u2019t respond to a request for comment for this article.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not unusual for lawmakers\u2019 staffs to post updates for them. And Kean isn\u2019t the first member of Congress to have social media posts implying he is staying active and engaged with his constituents while he is out of the public eye. But the posts have raised eyebrows as his whereabouts remain unknown and his office has stayed tight-lipped about why. <\/p>\n

\u201cIf they\u2019re talking to him and he\u2019s signing off on these things, that\u2019s one thing. If they\u2019re doing it without consulting with him, that\u2019s another. I don\u2019t think the latter is acceptable,\u201d said a New Jersey Democratic lawmaker who has tried to get in touch with Kean without success and spoke on the condition of anonymity about the private outreach. \u201cNo one has any idea what\u2019s f—– going on with him. Like, literally no one knows.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more \u2192<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\ud83d\uddde\ufe0f Today’s other top stories<\/h2>\n