2026年5月22日 美国东部时间早上7:00 / 福克斯新闻
民主党参议员回避缅因州候选人过往言论相关问题
民主党参议员德宾、布克和韦尔奇均表示，他们并未关注2026年击败苏珊·柯林斯的参议员竞选
撰稿：利奥·布里塞尼奥，福克斯新闻
这种回避态度几乎无法让人清楚了解他们是否认为普拉特纳此前的言论会危及他击败缅因州共和党参议员苏珊·柯林斯的参议院竞选。（图源：尼古拉斯·巴利亚西 为福克斯新闻数字频道拍摄）
民主党参议员大多回避回答有关格雷厄姆·普拉特纳的问题。普拉特纳是缅因州一名有争议的候选人，正挑战现任共和党联邦参议员苏珊·柯林斯，其大量低俗言论近几个月重新浮出水面。
多数民主党人告诉福克斯新闻数字频道，他们并未关注缅因州的这场竞选。
“我没有密切关注这场竞选。”伊利诺伊州民主党参议员迪克·德宾本周早些时候在被问及普拉特纳时对福克斯新闻数字频道表示。
民主党议员在进步派候选人纳粹风格纹身事件上保持沉默，此前曾因黑格塞特的基督教符号抨击对方
伊利诺伊州民主党参议员迪克·德宾（左）与缅因州民主党参议院候选人格雷厄姆·普拉特纳（右）同框。（图源：达·玛丽·奥加德 / 里茨au扫描通讯社 / 法新社 via 盖蒂图片社；乔·雷德尔 / 盖蒂图片社）
民主党议员的这些言论——以及多数情况下的沉默——几乎无法表明议员们是否认为普拉特纳过去有关性虐待、种族和恐怖主义的言论会对他的参议院参选资格构成实质性威胁。
民主党认为这个席位是绝佳的拿下机会：在一个倾向民主党的州击败一名温和派共和党人。如果普拉特纳获得提名，民主党将不得不寄希望于他“多姿多彩”的过往不会让足够多的选民倒戈，进而意外让柯林斯赢得第六个任期。
1997年首次当选该席位的柯林斯，上一次连任是在2021年，她以51.0%对42.4%的优势击败民主党挑战者、州议员萨拉·吉迪恩。
在重新浮出水面的言论中，普拉特纳曾在一个Reddit帖子中指责强奸受害者未能保护自己。
舒默的“头号目标”称选民会认为其民主党参议院挑战者过于极端
2025年10月15日，缅因州民主党参议院候选人格雷厄姆·普拉特纳在缅因州刘易斯顿的法裔美国人中心举行的市政厅活动上发言。（图源：利比·肯尼 / 《太阳日报》 via 美联社）
“人们难道不该为自己负责吗？在和自己无意发生关系的人发生性关系后，难道不该好好处理吗？”普拉特纳2013年写道。
“如果不想陷入危险境地，就该像个成年人一样行事，该死的。”
新泽西州民主党参议员科里·布克表示，他并不清楚这些言论背后的情况。和德宾一样，布克称自己的注意力一直在其他地方。
“我没有关注这场竞选。”布克说。
但他承诺会更仔细地审视此事。
“我会尽到应有的调查义务，全面了解他的所有相关证据。他需要向选民证明自己，而不是向我这样的人证明。他必须这么做，因为显然这场选举意义重大。”布克说道。
缅因州参议院候选人被问及有关性侵犯的“恶劣”帖子时，以战斗创伤为由回应
2026年3月3日，新泽西州民主党参议员科里·布克在特朗普政府官员就美国打击伊朗的行动举行简报会后，于华盛顿特区国会山向记者发表讲话。（图源：内森·波斯纳 / 阿纳多卢通讯社 via 盖蒂图片社）
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不过，其他参议员表示，缅因州的竞选应由该州选民决定。
“这是缅因州的事。”佛蒙特州民主党参议员彼得·韦尔奇说，“这取决于缅因州的人民。”
利奥·布里塞尼奥是福克斯新闻数字频道国会团队的政治记者，此前曾任职于《世界杂志》。
Dem senators deflect questions on Platner’s scandal-plagued campaign: ‘Not following that race closely’
2026-05-22 7:00am EDT / Fox News
Democratic senators dodge questions on Maine candidate’s past comments
Dem senators Durbin, Booker and Welch all said they aren’t focused on the race to unseat Susan Collins in 2026
By Leo Briceno, Fox News
The silence does little to clarify their view of whether his previous remarks jeopardize his Senate bid to unseat Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine. (Credit: Nicholas Ballasy for Fox News Digital)
Democratic senators largely avoided answering questions about Graham Platner, the controversial candidate in Maine looking to unseat Republican incumbent Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and his many off-color comments that have resurfaced in recent months.
Most Democrats told Fox News Digital they aren’t focused on the Maine contest.
“I’m not following that race closely,” Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., told Fox News Digital earlier this week when approached about Platner.
DEMS SILENT ON PROGRESSIVE CANDIDATE’S NAZI-STYLE TATTOO AFTER KNOCKING HEGSETH FOR CHRISTIAN SYMBOL
Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., left, pictured next to Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner, right.(da Marie Odgaard / Ritzau Scanpix / AFP via Getty Images; Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
The comments — and in many cases, silence — from Democratic lawmakers have done little to clarify whether lawmakers see Platner’s past remarks on sexual abuse, race and terror as a meaningful threat to his Senate candidacy.
It’s a seat Democrats believe presents a ripe opportunity; a chance to knock off a moderate Republican in a Democratic-leaning state. Should Platner take the nomination, Democrats will have to hope his colorful past won’t turn enough voters away to inadvertently hand Collins a sixth term.
Collins, who first took the seat in 1997, last won re-election in 2021 in a 51.0% to 42.4% victory over Democratic challenger Sara Gideon, a state legislator.
Among other resurfaced comments, Platner in one Reddit post once blamed rape victims for failing to protect themselves.
SCHUMER’S ‘NUMBER ONE TARGET’ SAYS VOTERS WILL SEE HER DEMOCRAT SENATE CHALLENGER AS TOO EXTREME
Senate candidate Graham Platner, D-Maine, speaks at a town hall at the Franco Center in Lewiston, Maine, on Oct. 15, 2025.(Libby Kenny/Sun Journal via AP)
“How about people just take some responsibility for themselves and not so f—– up when they wind up having sex with someone they don’t mean to?” Platner wrote in 2013.
“If you don’t want to be in a compromising situation, act like an adult for f—- sake.”
To Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., the story behind those comments isn’t clear. Like Durbin, Booker said his focus has been elsewhere.
“I have not been focusing on this race,” Booker said.
But he promised to give the matter a closer look.
“I am going to do my due diligence and look through the full body of evidence around him. He has a case to make to the voters, not to people like me. And he needs to make it because obviously this election is highly consequential,” Booker said.
MAINE SENATE CANDIDATE CITES COMBAT TRAUMA WHEN CONFRONTED ON ‘TERRIBLE’ POSTS ABOUT SEXUAL ASSAULT
Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., speaks to reporters at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on March 3, 2026, following a briefing by Trump administration officials on U.S. strikes on Iran.(Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images)
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Still, other senators said the Maine race is the prerogative of voters in the Pine Tree State.
“It’s up to Maine,” Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., said. “It’s up to Maine’s people.”
Leo Briceno is a politics reporter for the congressional team at Fox News Digital. He was previously a reporter with World Magazine.
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