Washington Examiner chief political correspondent Byron York weighed in on the sexting scandal surrounding Graham Platner, the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Maine.
“Public opinion hasn’t caught up — there’s a lot of things we don’t know about this,” York said Tuesday on Fox News’s The Ingraham Angle.
York argued that the recent allegations involving Platner’s sexting messages have yet to register with voters fully and that the scandal could still reshape the race for Senate. “We’re waiting for public opinion to catch up with events, because it’s only been a few days,” he said.
He also added that the full scope of the allegations remains unclear, asking, “Was it six women? Was it 12? How many women were there? And also, what did he say?”
York’s remarks come after allegations surfaced that Platner sent sexually explicit text messages to multiple women other than his wife.
Recent polls by RealClearPolitics show that Plater continues to lead the race for U.S. Senate against Republican incumbent Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME). “You look at the RealClearPolitics average of polls. Platner is up by 8 points over Susan Collins,” York said. “He’s been that way for months; nothing has changed.”
York suggested the nature and severity of Platner’s messages could prove decisive once fully understood by voters, raising the possibility that additional reporting could further affect the race as it develops.
“A lot of the time, experienced campaign operatives like to drop big oppo after their opponent has gotten their party’s nomination. So, I would not be surprised to see more of this coming out. Now remember after the whole Nazi tattoo thing, Platner was asked, ‘Now there’s not going to be any more skeletons in your closet, are there?’ and he said, ‘Oh no, don’t worry, nothing else,’” York said.
The text messages are just the latest in a string of controversies surrounding Platner. Critics have pointed to offensive social media posts in which Platner reportedly mocked a wounded U.S. Army soldier who was awarded the Purple Heart and commented about the late Navy SEAL sniper Chris Kyle. He has also faced scrutiny over past anti-gay slurs, racially charged remarks, and a tattoo linked to Nazi symbolism that he apologized for after the imagery became public.