Graham Platner's political collapse did more than derail a scandal-plagued Senate campaign in Maine. It also completed Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman's public transformation from a Bernie Sanders-backed progressive populist to one of the left's most aggressive internal critics.
Fetterman was among the first prominent Democrats to call out Platner's mounting controversies, even as many party leaders continued backing the scandal-plagued candidate until a former girlfriend publicly accused Platner of rape, an allegation he denies. The accusation prompted the remaining pillars of Democratic support to collapse.
By Wednesday night, Fetterman laid into his onetime political ally Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., in an interview with Fox News' Charles Hurt on "Jesse Watters Primetime."
"The trash took itself out," Fetterman said of Platner's withdrawal, as Hurt asked who should be held most responsible for the Platner chaos.
Kingmaker Mamdani Calls On Platner To 'Drop Out Of The Race' After Rape Allegation