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Israel looms large as Maine heads to the polls in Graham Platner’s Senate primary

JL;DR SUMMARY Graham Platner's campaign for the Maine Democratic Senate nomination has been marked by significant controversy, particularly around his stance on Israel and involvement with AIPAC. A way out west there was a fella, fella I want to tell you about, fella by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least, that was the handle his lovin' parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. This Lebowski, he called himself the Dude. Now, Dude, that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from. But then, there was a lot about the Dude that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And a lot about where he lived, likewise. But then again, maybe that's why I found the place s'durned innarestin'.

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Democratic PartyAipacPolitical ControversyPro Israel LobbyGraham PlatnerMaine Senate RaceTattoo ControversySusan Collins

Places mentioned

Maine, United States
"As Graham Platner wrapped up his campaign for the Maine Democratic Senate nomination Tuesday, he ended it the way he began: by taking aim at AIPAC, the pro-Israel lobby and political funder."
New Jersey, United States
"Are you kidding me? A tattoo of the Israeli flag is worse than a Nazi symbol? tweeted Democratic Rep. Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey, who is Jewish."
Pennsylvania, United States
"The Anti-Defamation League said the remark invokes classic antisemitic rhetoric and added, Such accusations call up the age-old dual loyalty trope that casts Jewish Americans as more loyal to Israel than their own country. The Nexus Project, an antisemitism watchdog that is more forgiving of some forms of criticism of Israel than the ADL, also criticized the tweet. The insinuation that the government of Israel is buying or directly controlling any politician who receives AIPAC funding or any American political donor that donates through a pro-Israel conduit is reductive and wrong, Jonathan Jacoby, Nexus president, told JTA in a statement. Undeterred, Platner on Saturday again invoked AIPAC while going after a member of his own party: Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, a staunch Israel supporter."

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Retrieved 2026-06-09 18:00:30 UTC
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