Democratic operatives spent just $6,250 on a three-day background check before launching Graham Platner's campaign for a US Senate seat in Maine, a decision now under scrutiny as allegations engulf his candidacy. Proper vetting for high-stakes races typically takes several weeks and tens of thousands of dollars, and the perfunctory review is being blamed for failing to surface problems that have since forced Democratic leaders to abandon the candidate and urge him to quit the race.

Platner faces a rape allegation from one former girlfriend, reported by Politico, and separate accusations of abusive behaviour from another; he denies all of them. He has also drawn criticism over a Nazi-linked tattoo acquired during his time in the Marine Corps, disparaging Reddit posts, and sexually explicit texts sent to women while married. According to the Wall Street Journal, the brief risk-assessment memo did flag some later-reported items but missed others, and prominent figures including Bernie Sanders and Zohran Mamdani have called on him to step aside.