It is his turn and the next week will tell us whether he can be a senator

by Kevin Ellis

A funny thing happens to a political candidate when they get close to winning.

You can watch the famous scene in the Robert Redford movie The Candidate. As the Redford character – running for the US Senate – moves closer and closer to victory by telling the truth about hard issues, he and the campaign get cautious. The candidate sleeps with a campaign aide. And the advisors begin telling him to not be so truthful. He compromises.

Now comes Graham Platner, Army vet, oyster farmer. Just a guy from Sullivan, Maine. For months he has told his truth. And that vanquished his Democratic rival, former Governor Janet Mills.

Maine voters want change and they want someone next generation. Voters supported Platner even after the disclosure of a Nazi tattoo on his body.

He copped to being really drunk and stupid after several tours in Iraq. He clearly went out and got shit-faced with his buddies. He said he didn’t know that the body art was bad. Dumb.

Then last week the NY Times broke a story about his sexting women. Also really dumb.

Then there is this week’s NY Times story interviewing former girlfriends. Now I don’t think The Times ever interviewed Trump ex-girlfriends and dating partners. They laid out Pete Hegseth’s sordid past pretty well, not to mention Brett Cavanaugh.

There is enough sleaze to go around both parties. Republicans are rallying behind a guy named Ken Paxton to be their candidate for the Senate in Texas. To their credit, Republicans in Texas impeached him for doing favors for a wealthy donor. It’s bribery. He was also indicted for securities fraud and is being divorced by his wife for “biblical’’ reasons.

So the tolerance for sleaze goes both ways. And that is why the next generation of voters is desperate for someone NOT sleazy, someone who talks like they do, who lives as they do.

Platner looked like them, talked like them and had life concerns like them.

For months, Platner looked like the next Bernie Sanders. He said all the rights things about inequality, wealth taxes, Medicare for All.

And he owned up to the tattoo thing being dumb.

But then yesterday he blinked. When the sexting story came out in The Times, he sent his wife Amy onto Instagram to vouch for him and defend their marriage. It was a courageous thing for her to do. I felt really really sorry for her.

But no interview with Platner himself. No mea culpa. Nothing. Big mistake.

Now comes The Times story about Platner’s dating life in which former girlfriends call him volatile and little dangerous.

Nothing from Platner or the campaign. Another mistake.

It is clear to me that no one advising Platner remembers the famous 2008 press conference by Republican presidential candidate John McCain. The Arizona senator had been accused in a NY Times story of having an affair with a lobbyist.

McCain did exactly the right thing. He walked out in front of the press corp and denied an affair, saying he knew the lobbyist but that is as far as it went.

The key moment was when McCain said he would stay and answer every question from reporters for as long as it took. He wouldn’t run away or hide behind a prepared statement or some press secretary. Eventually, the reporters got tired. Everybody went home. The story died.

This is what Platner needs to do right now.

Hold a press conference in Maine. Say you will answer every question from reporters for as long as it takes.

And in that press conference, he should do the following:

1. Own your past. You did stupid stuff. You know it. And we know it. Voters forgive if you tell the truth.
2. Don’t send your wife out to defend you. Women are sick and tired of explaining the stupid behavior of husbands. It’s gross and sexist.
3. Apologize. Say you were wrong. Apologize to those you may have mistreated.
4. Over-correct. Promise to be the kind of senator who grows from past mistakes, who forgives others and tries to be the best person you can be. Voters will either believe you or they won’t. You say you trust their judgment. It is time to prove it.
5. Get a better communications person over the age of 40 who has the guts to tell you the truth. There are a lot of young consultants around Platner from NY and elsewhere. Go find someone who remembers the John McCain press conference. Stop listening to advisors who say you should hide and get cautious.

You are about to lose this campaign and saddle the country with a Republican Senate. Go tell the truth and trust the voters.