Faulty reasoning signals

• Confirmation Bias - 1.4% (9 hits)
• Anchoring Bias - 15.7% (104 hits)
• Availability Heuristic - 33% (219 hits)
• Representativeness Heuristic - 5.1% (34 hits)
• Hindsight Bias - 0%
• Overconfidence Bias - 7.5% (50 hits)
• Framing Effect - 10.9% (72 hits)
• Loss Aversion - 5.3% (35 hits)
• Status Quo Bias - 9.5% (63 hits)
• Sunk Cost Effect - 0%
• Optimism Bias - 1.4% (9 hits)
• Pessimism Bias - 12.1% (80 hits)

Article text

Democrats call on Platner to drop out of Maine Senate race amid sexual assault allegation

We start with breaking news that could impact the midterm elections.

Main Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner is facing new accusations of sexual assault.

Politico reports that a woman Platner dated claims he forced her to have sex against her will.

In an interview with CNN's Jake Tapper, the accuser says Platner came over to her house uninvited in 2021 and then forced himself on her despite her objections.

>> Heavily intoxicated, like and in that blank stare was kind of like a photographic memory that that I still have of that night and his >> [snorts] [clears throat] >> That was me recognizing what the situation was and this wasn't just like a oh hey somebody showed up and I'm going to tell him to go home like he was heavily intoxicated, had intentions with me, and wasn't listening when I said no.

>> Platner denies the report and says he is taking time to decide what comes next.

>> Any accusation of non-consensual behavior is categorically false.

Regardless of the inaccuracy of the reporting, but mindful the political reality will inflict.

We are taking the time to reflect on the best path forward for the state that I love, the people that I love, the movement I belong to, and the goal of defeating Susan Collins.

>> All right, let's go right to Aaron Zitner.

He is a reporter and editor in the Wall Street Journal's Washington Bureau.

Aaron, thanks for joining us.

Let's talk about this.

Platner has dealt with a number of controversies, everything from a Nazi-linked tattoo to sexual misconduct allegations.

Now this, can he salvage his campaign?

>> Well, I don't know the future, but I have to say it seems unlikely.

You have three big problems.

The first being that people who endorsed him, prominent people, Ruben Gallego as senator from Arizona, Ro Khanna, a congressman from California, have rescinded their endorsements.

And the party leadership, which wasn't really behind him to begin with, Chuck Schumer and the head of the Senate campaign committee for the party throughout the country, they have called on him to drop out, as has the Democratic Party of Maine, his home state, of course.

So, you have the party turning against him, and money is surely drying up if it hasn't already.

It's going to be hard to raise money in this environment.

And finally, you have the voters.

And I've talked to plenty of Maine voters who already, you know, he got more than 70% support in the Democratic primary, but a lot of people were still in kind of we don't know everything about this person mode.

And now you have a woman going on record on TV in a way that can be used in attack ads against him, saying that he's crossed the line into violent and non-consensual behavior.

It seems really hard to dig out from this.

>> So, with endorsements withdrawn, are people calling for Platner to drop out?

And what happens with the Maine Senate race and Democrats' efforts to unseat Susan Collins?

>> Yes, well, the state party and other Democratic leaders have called on him to drop out.

And the state law is the controlling vehicle here, and it doesn't give the Democratic Party much time.

It's up to Grant Platner on whether to withdraw, but he must withdraw by next Monday in order for the party to replace him on the ballot.

If he doesn't withdraw by next Monday, he can remove his name from the ballot, but the party doesn't have the right to put in a substitute person.

So, by next Monday, if he withdraws, the party then has 2 weeks to pick a replacement, and that would fall to the Democratic State Committee, the Democratic Party of Maine, the the state committee.

>> All right.

Aaron Zitner, Aaron, thank you.

>> Absolutely.