Graham Platner’s campaign has ended. The Democratic candidate for Maine’s Senate has formally withdrawn from the race, giving the party until July 27 to nominate a replacement.

This shift serves the party well, as Platner’s polling numbers had plummeted after credible accusations of a serious sexual assault came to light. A different candidate is likely to be better positioned to defeat the incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins.

This move is also advantageous for the country. Platner was a flawed contender with no notable qualifications for governing and a long history of odd conduct: from the Nazi tattoo to provocative Reddit posts to alcoholism and the mistreatment of ex-girlfriends. Even if one accepts his claim that he didn’t know about the tattoo when he got it, taken together these red flags are hard to overlook.

Beyond his personal issues, Platner was also campaigning on a far-left platform with questionable electoral viability. It’s true that Democratic primary voters often embrace socialist and quasi-communist figures, but that likely stems from frustration with the party establishment rather than genuine enthusiasm for seizing the means of production. Whether voters statewide in a general election would embrace socialism remains uncertain.

Platner did not label himself a democratic socialist, yet his entire bid revolved around supposed populist outrage at oligarchs and “the Epstein class,” whoever that may be. In fact, when scrutiny arose over alleged violence toward women, he claimed it was a coordinated attack by the Epstein class to remove him. His program echoed the progressive-left belief that ultra-wealthy individuals are the source of most societal misery and must be targeted.

Ironically, this stance tends to win more support among the affluent and highly educated than among working-class voters whom Platner seemed to address. Working-class folks ought to be somewhat offended that a cabal of far-left Democratic consultants—Morris Katz and Rebecca Katz (no relation)—decided that their peculiar crusade against billionaires would serve as a policy agenda to appeal to workers. All they needed was a rough-edged personality with a deep voice and, perhaps, a taste for violence. That framing is plainly offensive.

So good riddance to Platner, and with any luck, good riddance to the cohort of political operatives who treat socialism as both the cure for all problems and the obvious path to electoral victory.

Weekly Roundup: Free Media and Freed Up

I spoke with Christian Britschgi about Platner’s case and a plausible conspiracy theory involving Sen. Mitch McConnell (R–Ky.) and Rep. Thomas Massie (R–Ky.).

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I’ve just finished Pluribus, one of the best television series I’ve watched in years. Highly recommended!