Sen. John Fetterman is openly rebuking the left flank of his own party, urging Sen. Bernie Sanders and other progressives to apologize for backing embattled Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner, whom Fetterman labeled a "predator." In a Fox News interview, the Pennsylvania Democrat said Sanders should "sit a few out" when it comes to endorsements and criticized him for promoting "communists and people" like Platner, who Fetterman said is "a dead man walking, politically" after recent abuse allegations, per the Hill.
Those allegations escalated on Monday, when Jenny Racicot of Maine told CNN that Platner raped her in 2021 after entering her home drunk and refusing to stop despite her repeated objections. Platner has denied all accusations of nonconsensual behavior, calling them "categorically false," with his campaign claiming the allegations were "coached and coordinated" by political opponents. Fetterman also called out Democratic senators and liberal podcast Pod Save America for continuing to support Platner after earlier reports of "toxic" relationships, saying they should apologize to the women whose claims they downplayed.
Platner and Fetterman have been at odds for some time, trading barbs despite their shared East Coast "blue-collar image," per the Portland Press Herald. Jonathan Zimmerman writes more on that for the Philadelphia Inquirer, musing on "Platner, Fetterman, and the myth of the working-class politician."
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