CNN Panel EDUCATED On Maine Election

Graham Platner is a very flawed candidate.I don't know if there's more coming out.If there is, he's going to have to brace for that.

There could be, but we are now witnessing the post -cancellation, post -purity style of politics that the Republican Party has ushered in.I'm not going to sit here and defend things Graham Platner did in his past.Not even Graham Platner defends these things that he did in his past.But we have watched for a decade as Republicans have repeatedly lowered the threshold, lowered the standards for their candidates.And now Democrats are going to keep holding our candidates to an infinitely higher standard while we have Ken Paxson in Texas, while we have Donald Trump sitting in the Oval Office right now.Donald Trump had a sit down dinner with Nick Fuentes and the very same people who were silent about that are now clutching their pearls.

Democrats are trying to reframe this away from Graham Platner's personality and towards a race between Graham Platner versus Susan Collins.Susan Collins is somebody who rubber -stamps all of Donald Trump's worst impulses, stripping healthcare away from tens of millions of Americans that will lead to death.Susan Collins rubber -stamped Kristi Noem, which led to the death of Alex Pretty and Rene Good.So I'm not going to sit here and judge Mainers who want to push away, push against the status quo.It's not my place to judge.If Graham Platner can earn their trust, then he earns their trust.