International News Portal14 November 2026Headlines from established publishers
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Maine Democrat Graham Platner promises he'll be 'arrested' as a senator if GOP keeps control of chamber
Maine Democrat candidate Graham Platner promised his supporters he will be "arrested" as a senator if he's elected to a Republican-controlled U.S. Senate.
Maine Democratic candidate Graham Platner promised that he would be "arrested" as a U.S. senator if he wins his election, but Republicans maintain control of the chamber.
Platner held his first campaign event following Maine Gov. Janet Mills' announcement that she would be dropping out of the Democratic primary race, leaving Platner as the presumed nominee for the November election.
Though he expressed confidence that the Democratic Party could regain control of the Senate from Republicans in November, Platner encouraged Democratic senators to push "an element of activism" in their roles by appearing at protests.
"If we don’t get the majority," Platner said, "and things continue to get worse, I will promise you that I’m going to be arrested as a United States senator."
The comments resemble previous instances where Democratic politicians have expressed concerns that President Donald Trump would weaponize law enforcement against them.
"I mean, it sounds nuts, but I wouldn’t be surprised if this guy threw me in jail," Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., said in 2024. "He’s out of his mind. I mean, he did his whole first campaign around ‘lock her up.’ This is his motto."
During the event, Platner reiterated his plans to "shut the White House down," using the Senate’s investigatory powers to hinder the Trump administration.
"We haul everyone in the White House under subpoena, day in, day out, in front of Senate committees to answer questions about all the lawbreaking they’ve been doing," Platner said, adding that there's "a compelling case for the impeachment and removal of at least two" Supreme Court justices.
Platner has run a controversial campaign, including being the subject of many controversies, such as accusations that a tattoo he has resembles a "Totenkopf," a Nazi SS symbol.
He has also faced backlash for several old Reddit posts in which he described himself as a "communist," criticized rape victims and praised a Hamas raid that killed at least five Israeli soldiers.
Platner has repeatedly apologized for his controversies and even apologized for his response to the controversies after using the "r-word" during an interview.
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