Campaign

Fetterman on Platner after Mills exits Maine Senate race: ‘Republicans f‑‑‑ing love him’

by Alexander Bolton - 04/30/26 6:34 PM ET

Link copied

by Alexander Bolton - 04/30/26 6:34 PM ET

Link copied

NOW PLAYING

Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) made it clear that he’s not thrilled with Graham Platner (D) becoming the presumptive Democratic Senate nominee in Maine, declaring that “Republicans f‑‑‑ing love him” because of his liberal policy positions and controversial statements.

“Democrats really, really like Platner in Maine but the Republicans f‑‑‑ing love him,” Fetterman said when asked about Democratic Gov. Janet Mills dropping out of the Maine primary.

“It’s a great day,” he added sarcastically. “If Maine wants an a‑‑hole with a Nazi tattoo on his chest, they get him.”

But Fetterman said he doesn’t plan to support incumbent Sen. Susan Collins (R) despite his misgivings about Platner.

“No, I don’t have any — I’m not in it,” he said.

Fetterman called out Platner recently over statements the Marine and Army National Guard combat veteran made on Reddit years ago about a raid that Hamas militants carried out against Israeli soldiers.

“From a strictly professional standpoint, this was a damn fine looking and successful raid against a superior opponent, I dig it,” Platner wrote online in comments first reported by Jewish Insider.

“You know, like Platner in Maine,” Fetterman told video journalist Nicholas Ballasy. “You know, he said, ‘I dig it,’ you know, in a video where Hamas was beating and torturing Israeli soldiers to death. ‘I dig it.’”

“That’s the kind of what our party’s becoming. It’s been incredibly disappointed,” Fetterman said.

Mills announced Thursday that she would suspend her campaign for Senate because it was running short of the money it needed to be competitive. Polling showed her trailing Platner by double digits among likely Democratic primary voters.

Add as preferred source on Google