Fox News contributor Dan Bongino stated that Democratic politicians abandoned Senate candidate Graham Platner not due to principles, but because the allegations against him threatened their pursuit of power. Bongino argued that prominent Democrats, including New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), and Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), rescinded their support or urged Platner to withdraw only after concluding he could no longer help them unseat incumbent Sen. Susan Collins.
"There were no principles involved here at all," Bongino said on "The Ingraham Angle." "The left are the anti-anti-communist. They're just against us and whatever we stand for to advance their communist agenda, and this guy was a tool that's no longer sharp for them."
Bongino asserted that Platner was a "tool" for Democrats to gain more power, and once he was no longer useful, they discarded him. He characterized the situation as a "simple power equation" where the "sole principle" guiding their actions was the acquisition of power.
Platner's campaign has faced significant challenges following a rape allegation. A second accusation of sexual impropriety, involving claims of removing condoms during sex with an ex-girlfriend despite her explicit request for their use, emerged approximately 24 hours after the initial report. The Washington Post reported on the second allegation, which Platner's campaign has denied, calling it "categorically false and politically motivated."
Platner's campaign had not responded to previous requests for comment from Fox News Digital. The allegations have further complicated an already controversial campaign aimed at ousting Sen. Susan Collins.