Democratic Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff is under new pressure from Senate Republicans over whether he will condemn Graham Platner, the embattled Democrat who just won Maine’s Senate nomination.
The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) targeted Ossoff in a June 9 press release after fellow Georgia Democrat Raphael Warnock addressed allegations against Platner. Warnock said the allegations were “deeply concerning” and said “the people of Maine deserve answers,” according to the NRSC.
The controversy gives Republicans a new way to nationalize Ossoff’s reelection fight in Georgia, where Cook Political Report rates the race a toss-up and notes Rep. Mike Collins and Derek Dooley are in a Republican runoff for the chance to face Ossoff.
Platner’s campaign has been hit by a stream of reports over his past behavior. Maine Public reported that several former girlfriends accused him of volatile behavior and that The New York Times based its report on interviews with three former romantic partners; Platner denied the allegations. His candidacy has drawn scrutiny over offensive online posts and a tattoo associated with the Nazi SS, which Platner has said he did not know was a Nazi symbol when he got it.
Ossoff did not directly condemn Platner in a later Semafor interview, saying, “I’ve been following events at a distance, but I haven’t got involved in Maine.” Warnock told Semafor he had not endorsed in the race, while adding that Platner had raised economic issues that resonated with voters and faced issues that had “struck a nerve.”
Platner has since clinched the Democratic nomination and will face Republican Sen. Susan Collins in November, making the controversy a national headache for Democrats trying to flip control of the Senate.
