Jon Stewart, host of The Daily Show, has sharply criticized Democratic leadership, describing them as 'lost' during a recent interview with Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner. Platner, a Democrat and oyster farmer, is running to unseat Republican Senator Susan Collins.
Platner's Campaign and Lack of Support
On The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart, Platner revealed that he had not received any outreach from the Democratic National Committee (DNC) or the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) since launching his campaign. 'There has been more reach out from I would say more kind of like establishment folks. However, and this is the important part, not from like the DSCC, not from the DNC, nobody in the places of power remains interested,' Platner stated.
Stewart responded, 'They're lost, dude.' Platner made these remarks before his primary opponent, Maine Governor Janet Mills, suspended her campaign on Thursday. According to Semafor reporter David Weigel, the DNC contacted Platner's campaign after Mills dropped out, which a source confirmed to The Independent.
Democrats' Response
Following the suspension, the Democrats' X account promoted Platner's campaign. The Independent has contacted Platner's campaign for comment.
Stewart further argued that Democrats only know 'two stories': 'You're either a moderate Democrat or you're a left-wing firebrand. And so what they're saying is, 'Oh, sure, the left-wing firebrand, that does well in the primary, but that'll never travel.'' He also claimed that Platner has been viewed as the 'Democratic equivalent of a MAGA loyalist.'
'You know, there is that idea that well, electability, and there's something crazy about this, as though you are ... the Democratic equivalent of a MAGA loyalist who has come out with wildly controversial positions,' Stewart said. 'And then you talk to you for five minutes, you go, oh no, this is based in historical precedent. It has a very literate and literary foundation to it. It has a foundation of lived experience — like they should be, again, viewing this as a Rosetta stone that can help them translate.'
Path to General Election
With Mills suspending her campaign, Platner is expected to secure the Democratic nomination and face Collins in November. Collins, first elected to the U.S. Senate in 1996, made history in 2020 as the first Republican woman to win a fifth term. The Independent has contacted the DNC and DSCC for comment.
