In reality, he holds all the cards.
After winning his climactic street fight in the fifth installment of the eponymous series, Rocky approaches villain George Washington Duke, a sleazy promoter in the mold of Don King. “Touch me and I’ll sue,” Duke warns. But Rocky, who had lost all his money because of an implausible plot contrivance earlier in the film, ignores him and delivers a vicious body blow that sends him flying onto the hood of a car. “Sue me for what?” Rocky quips before the cheering crowd.
I recalled the exchange this morning, as Democrats scrambled to convince Graham Platner to withdraw from the Maine Senate race. After an ex-girlfriend came out to say that Platner broke into her home and raped her in 2021, and that she happened to share his left-wing politics, most Democrats withdrew their endorsements and urged him to drop out of the race. If he does so before next Tuesday, Democrats will be able to replace him by the end of the month.
But it isn’t that simple.
Last night, the New York Times cited a Platner-world source as saying there is no lock that he drops out. Instead, the campaign is making demands. “If he was to step down it would only be with a guarantee of being replaced by a candidate who he believes is true to the values and vision and policy agenda of the campaign that Maine voted for,” the source said.
This report was instantly greeted by mockery, with people chiming in that Platner, a dirtbag who has no support, is not in a position to make demands. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee has already announced that it was pulling funding from the race unless he is replaced with another candidate.
It’s quite possible that losing the support of the party, and even previously enthusiastic left-wing backers such as Representative Ro Khanna (Calif.), will convince Platner that he has no path forward and will need to step aside. It’s quite possible that he genuinely views beating Senator Susan Collins as crucial and that he will be persuaded that somebody else will have a better chance.
All that being said, it’s quite possible that he will decide to stick it out. In reality, he holds all the cards. He won the Democratic primary, and there is no mechanism for replacing him unless he decides to give up. The guy wouldn’t have gotten as far as he did were he not a narcissist who ignored the advice of the party’s power brokers. The very reason he is in this position in the first place is that he has a history of making reckless, rash decisions that are selfish and that defy rational thinking.
He knows that if he steps aside, he will be remembered forever as the guy who had to drop out after being credibly accused of rape, which will convince everybody that the accusations about him are true.
If he holds on, however, Democrats will be stuck with him after next week. Given how negative partisanship works, the left-wing tilt of the state, and the control of the Senate at stake, it’s easy to see Democratic voters talking themselves into the idea that they have to suck it up and support Platner. If Republicans control the Senate, Trump could still confirm Supreme Court justices, lower court judges, and any other nominees. So it’s plausible that Maine remains a competitive race even with Platner. If it comes to October and the seat remains crucial to Democrats retaking the Senate, let’s see if the national committees stick to their pledges not to support him.
So like Rocky, Platner has very little to lose. If he rides out this week, the calls for him to quit will recede. His legacy will be damaged either way. And while his chances of winning now are low, they would be zero if he drops out.
Again, if I were an oddsmaker, I would still say it’s more likely than not that Platner abandons his candidacy. But if I were a gambler, I wouldn’t want to risk money betting on that outcome.