Inside the Collapse of Graham Platner’s Campaign

Plus: The Story Behind Trump’s War.Gov Ad

View in browser | Update preferences SUBSCRIBE FOR FULL ACCESS Graham Platner has had anything but a placid run at a Senate seat in Maine, where he had been threatening Susan Collins’s decades-long tenure. There was the apparent Nazi tattoo—a not-small problem, you’d think, that a candidate couldn’t withstand, but he did. Then there were some initial allegations of misconduct, but his momentum didn’t seem much blunted. This week, when Politico reported a rape allegation, he still did not immediately withdraw from the race. As our Washington correspondent Aidan McLaughlin reports, even as his circle of advisers urged him to close up shop, Platner tried to stay in, denying the allegations and fighting with his team. The details are here, and Aidan will have more in the coming weeks on how the Democratic Party is handling this new challenge. Elsewhere in discomfiting news, Savannah Walsh has fresh insight into a new ad campaign that the Department of War has been rolling out during Love Island and other prime-time TV shows, but they swear there’s no AI involved (the Stefon of newsletter sentences). CLAIRE HOWORTH, DEPUTY EDITOR Why this ad? Inside the Collapse of Graham Platner’s Campaign BY AIDAN MCLAUGHLIN “We continued to ask Graham for the billionth time in this race if there was any information he had not shared,” says one adviser. “He continued to say no.” READ MORE Get more as a Vanity Fair subscriber Exclusive offer: Subscribe to get one month of Vanity Fair free START YOUR FREE TRIAL Another Great Read POLITICS The Trump Administration Is Running Military Recruitment Ads on TV. The White House Says They’re Working. BY SAVANNAH WALSH A recent Department of War commercial that aired during Love Island and Disclosure Day screenings was made without AI, the White House tells Vanity Fair. READ MORE Scene Selection Jennifer Garner Takes a Walk Down Memory Lane BY SAVANNAH WALSH From 13 Going on 30 to Love, Simon, Garner breaks down pivotal moments in her 30-year career—including the suggestive scene with Leo DiCaprio that she’s a bit embarrassed her son has watched, a “painful” movie with Matthew McConaughey, and the powerful scene that still makes her cry. READ MORE Why this ad? In Case You Missed It The Best New Movies and TV Shows on Netflix This Month For your next binge, journey from the American frontier to Victorian England with a reimagined Little House on the Prairie series and Enola Holmes 3, starring Millie Bobby Brown. Esther Perel’s Next Provocation One of the most famous relationship therapists in the world has been in our bedrooms for more than 20 years. Now, she's the inspiration for a character in Olivia Wilde's The Invite and is bringing the same radical energy to the Hollywood screen. MORE FROM VANITY FAIR POLITICS BUSINESS HOLLYWOOD STYLE ROYALS CELEBRITY This e-mail was sent to you by VANITY FAIR. To ensure delivery to your inbox (not bulk or junk folders), please add our e-mail address, vanityfair@newsletter.vf.com, to your address book. View our Privacy Policy Unsubscribe Copyright © Condé Nast 2026. One World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007. All rights reserved.