Republican Sen. Tim Scott sharply criticized Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner on Wednesday, arguing the Maine hopeful’s past comments reveal contempt for everyday Americans and make him unfit to build the kind of working-class coalition Democrats often claim to champion.
Speaking with Fox News, Scott warned Republicans not to underestimate the race for the Senate seat currently held by Susan Collins, one of the GOP’s more moderate figures and a longtime fixture in Maine politics.
“How in the world does this guy want to put together a working-class coalition?” Scott said. “It’s impossible, impossible for us to let him win. Thank God President Trump fights every single day for the American people. Let’s join his fight by winning.”
Scott accused Platner of harboring hostility toward multiple groups of Americans, including Black and Jewish communities, while also insulting rural voters — a particularly sensitive issue in a state like Maine, where many residents live outside major urban areas and value an independent political culture.
“Even more clear, he has been disrespectful towards rural white folks,” Scott said. “I was in Maine recently, 95 percent-plus rural white folks. He says they are stupid.”
The South Carolina senator appeared to reference controversial social media posts tied to Platner from several years ago. According to reporting from CNN KFile, Platner previously wrote that rural white Americans “actually are” racist and stupid and also referred to himself as a “communist.”
The resurfaced comments have become a growing flashpoint in the race, highlighting broader tensions inside the Democratic Party as candidates attempt to appeal to working-class voters while also distancing themselves from inflammatory rhetoric and ideological labels that Republicans have increasingly used as political ammunition.
Platner has since disavowed the remarks, saying they were written while he was struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder.
“That was me trying to get a rise out of people on the Internet,” Platner said during an appearance on “Pod Save America.” “Those weren’t even reflective of my opinions back then.”
The Democrat also addressed criticism surrounding a chest tattoo that some observers claimed resembled a Nazi symbol. Platner said he ultimately covered the tattoo after the backlash.
Despite the controversy, Platner appears to have gained traction in the race. A recent poll from Pan Atlantic Research showed the Democratic candidate leading Collins by seven points, with 48 percent support compared to 41 percent for the incumbent Republican senator.
Platner, a Marine veteran and oyster farmer, has also secured endorsements from prominent progressive figures and labor organizations, including Bernie Sanders and several labor unions.
Before facing Collins in the general election, however, Platner must first win the Democratic primary on June 9 against fellow Democrat David Costello. The primary field shifted after Janet Mills suspended her campaign due to financial difficulties.
Collins, who has served in the Senate since 1997, has long cultivated a reputation as a centrist Republican willing to break with her party at times. That image has helped her survive multiple difficult election cycles in a politically divided state, though the growing nationalization of Senate races continues to put pressure on candidates from both parties.
The contest is shaping up as another high-stakes fight over the direction of the Senate, with both parties increasingly framing elections around cultural divisions and ideological identity rather than kitchen-table concerns facing ordinary Americans.
