Jessica Tarlov Said She Always Knew Graham Platner Was Trouble but Her Own Words Destroy That Claim

July 13, 2026 Cat2, The Media
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Greg Gutfeld asked Jessica Tarlov last month if she would vote for a Nazi-tattooed accused abuser.

She said she would struggle.

Now she is on Fox News claiming Democrats were always uncomfortable with Graham Platner – and she is counting on you not remembering that answer.

The Spin Tarlov Tried to Run Wednesday

On Fox News Democracy '26, Tarlov declared that Democrats had always harbored doubts about Graham Platner.

"The average Democrat who I talk to, and certainly people within the larger party infrastructure, were always uncomfortable with Graham Platner and his behaviors," she told host Trace Gallagher.

She went further – arguing that Platner should have been forced out even sooner.

That is a remarkable claim from a woman who spent weeks on The Five defending the man to his face while Greg Gutfeld watched in disbelief.

What She Actually Said When It Mattered

One month ago, the New York Times published a story featuring three women who described Platner's behavior as "unsettling."

That was Tarlov's moment to show the principled discomfort she is now claiming.

She did the opposite.

With domestic abuse allegations sitting on the table, Tarlov went on The Five and argued that beating Susan Collins mattered more than any of it.

"Susan Collins, who touts her independence streak, now votes with Trump 95 percent of the time," Tarlov said. "And guess what? There are going to be one, maybe two Supreme Court seats up. Susan Collins is going to vote for his nominee – who will be an even younger Brett Kavanaugh – just like she did for Kavanaugh. And you know who won't do that? Graham Platner will stand in the way."

She even read approvingly from Platner's own damage-control speech – the one where he said he had "made mistakes" and asked voters to give him the chance to be "a senator for the people who cannot afford to buy a senator."

Then, when Gutfeld pressed her on whether she would vote for a man with a Nazi tattoo who had been accused of abuse, Tarlov refused to say no.

"I would struggle," she told Gutfeld.

That was her answer.

Not a refusal.

Not revulsion.

A struggle.

The Real Confession Was in Her Own Words Wednesday

Tarlov actually explained the entire calculation herself, buried inside the spin she was trying to run.

"We want to win the Senate. We are in a good position," she said.

That sentence tells you everything.

When winning was possible with Platner on the ballot, the domestic abuse report was a distraction and Republicans had no standing to lecture Democrats on character.

When a r**e allegation from Jenny Racicot – who told CNN that Platner "by dictionary definition" r**ed her in 2021 – cratered his polling and collapsed his donor support, suddenly Democrats had "always been uncomfortable" with him.

The concern did not change. The math changed.

Democrats Have Done This Before and They Will Do It Again

After Joe Biden destroyed himself on the debate stage against Donald Trump in June 2024, Democrats who had publicly defended his fitness for months suddenly discovered they had always harbored private doubts.

Nancy Pelosi and Hakeem Jeffries stood behind Biden for years while privately expressing concerns they did not voice until his poll numbers made staying on the train dangerous.

The pattern is always the same.

Defend the candidate until the political cost of defending him exceeds the cost of abandoning him.

Then claim you always had doubts.

Then lecture Republicans about character.

Tarlov ran every single step of that sequence Wednesday – including the part where she pivoted to telling Fox News anchor Trace Gallagher that "the Democrats will not be lectured by the party of Donald Trump and Ken Paxton."

She was on The Five a month ago refusing to say she would not vote for Graham Platner.

Democrats do not drop candidates because those candidates become morally disqualifying.

They drop them because losing becomes politically inconvenient.

Tarlov just said so herself.

Sources:

  • Matt Margolis, "Watch Jessica Tarlov Humiliate Herself Trying to Rewrite the Platner Disaster," PJ Media, July 9, 2026.
  • "Graham Platner Drops Out of Crucial Senate Race After Bombshell R**e Allegation Torpedoes Campaign," Fox News, July 8, 2026.
  • Steve Malzberg, "The Five's Tarlov Defends Platners Platform, Says Won't Be Lectured," NewsBusters, June 7, 2026.
  • Steve Malzberg, "The Five's Jessica Tarlov Defends Platner, Says He's 'Obviously Not A Nazi', Won't Say If She'd Vote For Him," NewsBusters, June 25, 2026.
  • "Graham Platner Drops Senate Bid After Sexual Assault Allegation," Boston Globe, July 8, 2026.