Wait, Did a Dem Senator Really Say This Regarding Justifying Support for Graham Platner?

Matt Vespa | June 09, 2026 6:50 AM

Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) isn’t the worst Democrat on the Hill, but this is extreme amnesia. The Democrats have struggled with how to defend their support of Graham Platner, the Maine Democrat with Nazi tattoos, who is now caught up in a sexting scandal and facing accusations of emotional abuse from multiple women. There’s always something with this guy, which is usually a red flag, but Democrats need to win Maine to flip the Senate. So, there’s exceptional linguistic gymnastics going on here. Warner’s explanation is that Trump lowered the bar on character or something (via NYT):

#MaineSenate

NYT: Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) said that Graham Platner’s behavior would probably have taken him out of the running in earlier decades, but that President Trump had lowered the bar for candidates’ personal conduct.

“President Trump set a new standard”, Warner… pic.twitter.com/UAm0BmF0vS
— Politics & Poll Tracker 📡 (@PollTracker2024) June 7, 2026

Senator Mark Warner of Virginia, a centrist Democrat, called the allegations “beyond disturbing” in an appearance Sunday on Fox News. But he said Maine voters would ultimately decide if the accusations were disqualifying.
“If these allegations are true, they’re very troubling,” he said on “Fox News Sunday.” “But I don’t know if they are true or not. I think, frankly, the people in Maine ought to decide that.”
[…]
Mr. Warner, who appeared on several Sunday shows, said that Mr. Platner’s behavior would probably have taken him out of the running in earlier decades, but that President Trump had lowered the bar for candidates’ personal conduct.
“President Trump set a new standard,” Mr. Warner told “This Week” on ABC News, invoking the “Access Hollywood” tapes in which Mr. Trump boasted about groping women. “Whether that low standard is what we ought to proceed with is going to be, again, in the hands of the voters.”