Graham Platner is a progressive populist running to unseat longtime Republican Susan Collins in Maine. The military veteran's campaign has been fiery, to say the least, riddled with attacks about his past online comments and—notably for Jews—a tattoo that bore a resemblance to a Nazi symbol, which he's since covered up.

But his Nazi-adjacent imagery didn't damage his reputation in the way people expect. Instead, Platner's continued railing against billionaires and "the people in power", with antisemitic undertones, has bolstered his support. So American Jewish voters lose in both ways: either because Platner does indeed harbour antisemitic beliefs, or because he rallies his base against them with dog whistles and quiet accusations.

David Schraub, an associate professor of law at Lewis & Clark Law School, joins The Jewish Angle with Phoebe Maltz Bovy to break down the ramifications of this controversy—and how Jewish Americans also find themselves caught in the awkward middle of President Donald Trump's war on Iran (which some accuse them of starting, by way of Israeli affiliations) while simultaneously not voting for him in the first place.

Credits

• Host: Phoebe Maltz Bovy
• Producer and editor: Michael Fraiman
• Music: " Gypsy Waltz " by Frank Freeman, licensed from the Independent Music Licensing Collective

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