James Carville compares Maine Senate candidate support to Stalin's coalition
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Veteran Democratic strategist James Carville compared supporting Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner to the United States siding with Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin during World War II.
Carville praised Platner for his military service, comparing him to other politicians, saying, “He's—-ed up, he's been shot, he's a veteran, he's a little weird, he's an oysterman.”
“Then her opponent, I can't say her name without absolutely drooling, is Susan Collins, whose spine reminds me of Maine blueberry jelly,” he said. “Perhaps we need a combat veteran in that senate who—ed up.”
“If you believe, as I do, that the country is in danger – I mean imminent danger – who is likely to stop this criminal in charge? Susan 'Blueberry Jelly' Collins, or five degrees off dead center Graham Platner?” Carville asked. “I think it's Graham Platner.”
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James Carville argued that if past presidents would support Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin, Democrats would support politician Graham Platner. (David Dee Delgado/Getty Images for The New York Times)
“And you know if Franklin Roosevelt and Winston Churchill could work with Joseph Stalin — who, by the way, I'll tell you this, he was a bad guy, a really bad guy, okay — I can't ignore the drawing,” Carville said.
Platner, the Democratic nominee in the Maine Senate race, has been dogged by scandals ranging from allegations that he sent sexist messages while married to his wife Amy Gertner, to having a decades-long tattoo of a Nazi SS Totenkopf skull and the insignia of a concentration camp guard.
One of his ex-girlfriends, Lyndsey Fifield, told The New York Times how Platner made fun of his chest tattoo and that she and other members of his military unit chose it because of their resemblance to the Nazi German SS – that they were “part of death…
He also accused him of misbehavior which he has argued about.
“There are some allegations in this clip that I just want to question, they're not true. Anything that alleges a physical condition, anything that says I knew what my tattoo was, these are statements by someone with a political interest,” Platner told MS NOW host Chris Hayes on Thursday.
Fifield, in turn, said the New York Times coverage was actually too soft on the Democratic nominee, and failed to use the evidence he provided.
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The Democratic Alliance candidate looking to resign Sen. Susan Collins in Maine has been caught up in many scandals. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
“I don't know how to tell the New York Times this, but a guy puts his hand on a girl t—y, the girl moves her hand, the guy walks away rejected and depressed. It happens,” Carville said in response to the report.
“If you've committed a crime, then charge him. Then throw him in jail. But so far, we've got nothing on that! We got a f—ed up guy, maybe, a hundred times more f—ed than him. He would never be as f—ed up as what we've got in Washington now anyway,” he continued.
“Abraham Lincoln had to set up habeas corpus, why? Because he had to win Godd—'s war, OK?” Carville added. “We have to win this.”
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James Carville downplayed concerns about Platner's previous tattoo being associated with a concentration camp guard. (Cindy Ord/Getty Images for SCAD)
Carville also pointed out that Platner's military service would provide a perspective that would differ from Collins, who he said voted for wars like Platner fought in.
“Maybe they should look at this boy before they send young people to fight wars and see what the result is,” he said.
“The painting is very troubling,” Carville admitted, “but f—, people get drunk.”
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Sen. Bernie Sanders and Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner stand together during the “Fighting Oligarchy” tour at the Collins Center for the Arts on the campus of the University of Maine in Orono, Maine, on May 24, 2026. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Fox News Digital reached out to Collins and Platner but did not immediately receive a response.
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Fox News' Charles Creitz, Leo Briceno and Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.
