Two top Democrat leaders who were hesitant to endorse embattled Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner by name amid his controversies finally relented Tuesday night after he cruised to victory in his primary election.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
House Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., issued a seemingly half-hearted joint statement backing Platner as he continues to face heat stemming from a multitude of scandals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Over the past year, we have created a path to win a Democratic Senate majority and put a stop to the chaos and damage of the Trump administration by defeating the Republicans who enable his harmful agenda,” they wrote in a statement issued by the Democrat Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) just after Platner was declared the winner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“In November, Maine voters will elect Graham Platner, and we will win a Senate majority,” they concluded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the statement, the New York lawmakers attempted to paint moderate Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, as a radical pro-Trump Republican despite her several breaks with the president.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Susan Collins has never been more vulnerable after she voted with Trump 96 percent of the time, confirmed his far-right judicial nominees, and took millions from special interests while voting to rip health care away from Mainers,” they listed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Last week, Platner met with Gillibrand and Schumer, among other Democrats, during a crisis trip to Washington, D.C., in the midst of his latest scandal, which, at the time, was related to revelations of an account on a controversial messaging app.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After that meeting, Gillibrand refused to say whether she still supported the progressive candidate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“I’m very confident we are going to win Maine,” she told reporters. “I do. I have confidence that we are going to win Maine and I have no doubt.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Schumer also attempted to duck direct questions from reporters at a Capitol Hill press conference following that meeting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“I met with Graham Platner today, we’re going to beat Susan Collins and take back the Senate,” he said. “We\u2019re going to beat Susan Collins and take back the Senate.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After he was asked for the fifth time about the meetings, he begrudgingly used Platner’s name to back the candidate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“As I said, I endorsed Graham Platner,” he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Before that meeting, Platner was embroiled in controversy after it was revealed that he has an active account on Kik, an anonymous chatting platform notorious for lax identification methods that have enabled the proliferation of child sexual abuse material.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Platner used as his profile image on the application a sexually suggestive photo of himself shirtless and wearing only a towel around his waist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Just days after the meetings in D.C., the candidate was accused of physical misconduct, including aggressive behavior, with a former romantic partner. Platner denies those accusations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Platner’s previous scandals include sexually lewd Reddit posts, disrespectful comments made against a Purple Heart-winning combat veteran, a Nazi-linked tattoo on his chest that has since been covered up and reports he exchanged sexually explicit messages with several women while married.<\/p>\n\n\n\n