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Forget corruption: From Graham Platner to Ken Paxton, both parties embrace the politics of hypocrisy

Both parties tolerate misconduct in their own candidates while expressing disgust at the opposition's scandals

By Howard Kurtz Fox News

Published June 8, 2026 3:00am EDT

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Democratic support persists as controversies mount around Graham Platner

Fox News Digital columnist David Marcus examines controversies surrounding Maine Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner on ‘The Will Cain Show.’

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Imagine, for a moment, that Graham Platner was a Republican.

The Democrats would be going nuclear, declaring him a horrible human being.

He’s utterly unfit for office, they would shout, sexting other women while he was married.

How could he represent Maine in the Senate, they would say, when he was sporting a Nazi tattoo?

WATCH: MAINE VOTERS DIVIDED ON PLATNER AS SCANDALS SHADOW DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY

From Sullivan harbormaster Graham Platner in Maine, to state Attorney General Ken Paxton in Texas, both parties have offered less-than-stellar candidates in closely-watched Senate races. (Getty Images)

Look at the New York Times, which found three women who say he physically manhandled them and made them extremely uncomfortable.

How could the Republicans even dream that he could win an election?

But of course, Platner is a Democrat – a very liberal Democrat – so it’s okay. They are glossing over all the garbage that’s come out and playing up his military record.

Sheer, unadulterated hypocrisy. 

NYT PANEL DEBATES WHETHER GRAHAM PLATNER IS A ‘DIRTBAG’ OR DEMOCRATS’ ANSWER TO TRUMP-ERA POLITICS

Now in fairness, a few Democrats have raised questions about Platner’s checkered past and expressed doubts about his candidacy.

But what was he thinking, running for office with an oyster boat full of baggage? (He doesn’t really make any money from oysters but it fits his salt-of-the-earth image.)

This race is getting huge national attention because the Dems need to flip a state like Maine if they’re going to have a serious shot at taking control of the........

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