PA Democratic Party Chairman: “Our hope is” that Fetterman stays with the party
PA Democratic Party Chairman Eugene DePasquale addressed the Fetterman speculation in Erie on Wednesday, a day before Fetterman ruled out changing parties.
- Sen. John Fetterman criticized Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner over reports of sexual messages and controversial tattoos.
- Fetterman’s criticism of Plattner marks a break with other Senate Democrats who have been more cautious on the issue.
- Mr. Platner is the leading Democratic candidate for the Maine Senate, with polls showing him ahead of Republican incumbent Susan Collins.
In the wake of reports about Maine Sen. candidate Graham Platner’s sexual messages with women outside of marriage, most Democrats have remained silent on the issue, but Sen. John Fetterman has not.
In a June 2 interview with CNN, the Pennsylvania Democrat from Allegheny County slammed Mr. Platner on a variety of issues, calling him a “crazy” and a “Nazi sympathizer.”
According to USA TODAY, Platner is the leading Democratic candidate for the Maine Senate, with a recent University of New Hampshire Research Center poll showing him leading Republican incumbent Susan Collins 51% to 42%.
Fetterman calls Platner ‘creepy’ over sexting scandal, slams Nazi tattoos
In a June 2 interview with CNN, Fetterman slammed Platner for allegedly sending sexual messages to women outside of their marriage through the massage app Kik under the username phustle0331.
“What kind of creeper? What kind of creeper…was on a platform like Kik and sent over a dozen explicit messages, and who knows what else there is,” Fetterman said.
Fetterman also complained to Platner about his skull and crossbones tattoo, which resembles the Nazi symbol. Platner said he didn’t know the meaning of the tattoo when he got it as a Marine and has hidden it ever since.
“When I was growing up, if someone had an obvious Nazi tattoo, you could probably conclude that they were a Nazi sympathizer,” Fetterman said.
Fetterman accuses Platner of sexting scandal, leaves Democratic Party
By criticizing Platner, Fetterman broke with Senate Democrats who have been hesitant to make negative comments about Platner since reports about his sexual texts with other women emerged, CNN reported.
On June 2, Platner met with Senate Democrats in Washington, D.C., including Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Peter Welch (D-VT), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Adam Schiff (D-CA), and independent Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), CNN reported.
Prior to reporting the sexual texts, both Sanders and Warren had expressed support for Platner, USA TODAY previously reported.
“Now, why would the richest people in this country want to take down Graham Platner?” Sanders said on June 2, as reported by CNN. “That should tell you all you need to know, because he’s going to stand up for the workers. Is he a saint? I don’t think so. I don’t know many saints here.”
Fetterman and Platner are not fans of each other.
In an interview with CNN on June 2, Fetterman did not say whether he would support Plattner if he were the Democratic candidate, and when asked whether he would support Republican Sen. Susan Collins over Plattner in the general election, he answered, “No, no, I don’t know.”
Mr. Fetterman acknowledged that if Mr. Platner wins, “everyone will have to work together,” but Mr. Platner has also expressed his distaste for Mr. Fetterman. During an interview with Mehdi Hasan earlier this year, Platner responded to the comparison between the two, calling Fetterman “the bane of my existence.”
What was Platner accused of in the sexting scandal?
In late May, the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times reported that Mr. Platner had exchanged sexual messages with a woman outside of marriage before campaigning.
His wife, Amy Gartner, responded in a video posted on social media the same day. Although she did not directly address the texts, USA TODAY previously reported that she and Mr. Platner are undergoing marriage counseling to address the challenges brought up through the campaign as well as her infertility.
“I’m really angry and disappointed, and I think it’s really shameful that there are media outlets and groups of people who would spread gossip instead of talking about the real issues that Mr. Graham is addressing,” Gartner said. “No marriage is perfect and I don’t want a perfect marriage. I want ours to be.”
Platner’s past controversy over Nazi tattoo, Reddit post
Platner has been embroiled in controversy before, facing criticism over a now-covered tattoo resembling a Nazi symbol in October 2025, as well as for old Reddit posts in which he made controversial comments about sexual assault and race, USA TODAY previously reported.
In addition to covering up his tattoos, he denounced the content of his Reddit posts, saying he no longer agreed with what he said.
Finch Walker is a Pittsburgh Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Please contact Walker at FWalker@usatodayco.com. Instagram: @finchwalker_. X: @_finchwalker.
