Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA), a potential 2028 presidential candidate, downplayed questions that his support of the controversial Graham Platner, Democratic nominee for Senate in Maine, could damage a future run for higher office.
In an interview with the Washington Examiner, Khanna said voters would focus on his work in Congress to hold lawmakers and criminals accountable, such as convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
“I’ve endorsed so many candidates,” Khanna said. “I think what people look at is my leadership on the Epstein files, my leadership on stopping the war in Iran, my leadership in standing up to the billionaire class, in calling for attacks on billionaires, my leadership on my economic vision, call that new economic patriotism for how to create economic success across this country.”
Khanna is among the several Democrats who have backed Platner’s campaign to take on incumbent Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) this November. But after a recent scandal in which Platner aggressively handled an ex-girlfriend, Khana has navigated a thorny balance.
“I want to be clear: his actions were misogynistic, they were shameful, they were wrong, but they didn’t come as a surprise to a lot of the folks in Maine,” Khanna told Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan on Sunday.
Khanna claimed that Platner took accountability for his actions before attacking Collins for voting against national health insurance and voting for tax breaks for billionaires.
The California Democrat gained some prominence this year for his work with Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) on a discharge petition that eventually forced the Department of Justice to release millions of files related to Epstein’s investigation.
He has now reportedly hired former President Joe Biden’s chief of staff, Ron Klain, to advise him ahead of a potential presidential run. If he were to run, Khana could take up the progressive mantle that Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) claimed during the 2016 and 2020 Democratic presidential primaries. Yet Khanna could face some competition in a 2028 race if another progressive stalwart, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), decides to run for president.
But what happens in Maine could have some impact on Khanna’s 2028 credentials.
“It’s one of those things where you are balancing risk versus reward,” said Cayce Myers, a professor at Virginia Tech’s School of Communication. “The reward is that if Platner unseats Collins and the Democrats are in control of the Senate, this seems like a very strategic move.”
But Myers cautioned, “The challenge is that, are there other things that could come out? How does this play out with the electorate? Does Platinum end up imploding as a candidate?”
Democrats are making the case to voters in Maine that control of the Senate is at hand, and winning the Maine seat is imperative to flipping control, even if it means reluctantly lining up behind Platner.
In the age of President Donald Trump, where scandals that would have ended political careers in the past are barely a blip now, Platner could survive the onslaught of negative news. He won the Democratic primary overwhelmingly with 72% of the vote on Tuesday night.
“We certainly see greater limits to what the electorate is willing to accept and forgive,” said Myers. “But it is a statewide election against an incumbent who has been able to fend off very well-financed strong challengers to be a blue state Republican and to be able to survive as long as Collins has is a testament, I think, to her own political strength.”
Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) told the Washington Examiner that “it’s too early to say” whether the association with Platner could harm Khanna’s 2028 chances.
“I think what I appreciate about Ro is that he takes positions and he sticks to them,” she continued. “He doesn’t flip around.”
The Washington Democrat did implore Democrats to be vigilant about screening candidates. Platner had already come under fire for controversial Reddit posts, a Nazi-linked tattoo, and the revelation that he sent sexually explicit text messages to women while married.
“I’ve been really strong on the Epstein survivors,” said Jayapal, who also pushed for “populists who respect women.”
Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-CA) said it made sense that Khanna and other potential 2028 candidates would stump for Democrats across the nation to help the party win back control of the House and Senate.
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But she also cautioned that “we’re always going to have flawed candidates, because as humans, we’re flawed.”
“And I also think it’s important that as Democrats we give a little more grace to really a lot of candidates and members, quite frankly, and hopefully we can give as much grace to our black and brown and Asian candidates and members as we do our white ones,” said Kamlager-Dove.
