Platner says he won’t be an ‘a–hole’ like Fetterman in Senate

Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner went after Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) on Sunday during a town hall, calling the Pennsylvania senator “an a–hole.”

“The Senate really is a place of — it’s a lot about relationships, and … I don’t want to go down there and simply be nonfunctional,” Platner said, discussing how he would operate in the upper chamber if he was elected.

“I mean, as you can all probably tell, I got a lot of criticisms about the way this government functions, but in order for us to make it functional, we’re going to have to do stuff, and you can’t just go down there and be John Fetterman, and … just sort of be an a–hole,” he added.

Platner added later that Fetterman “said mean things” about Platner so he’s “allowed to say that.”

In the past few years, Fetterman has bucked his party and angered Democrats with his stances. Fetterman has also recently gone after Platner, also calling the Senate candidate an “a–hole.”

“Democrats really, really like Platner in Maine but the Republicans f‑‑‑ing love him,” Fetterman said in late April, adding later that “if Maine wants an a‑‑hole with a Nazi tattoo on his chest, they get him.”

Platner’s campaign has been in choppy waters recently, with Democrats questioning whether he is becoming a liability in a key race for potential Senate control. Within the last few weeks, he has confronted revelations surrounding sexually explicit messages he sent to women during his marriage, and The New York Times published a story in which several former girlfriends portrayed him in a negative light.

The Hill has reached out to Fetterman’s office for comment.

Tags

2026 Maine Senate race

John Fetterman

Maine Senate race

Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.