The primary season is over and survivors prepare for the November 3 mid-term general elections.
If the general elections are anything close to the drama of the primaries, we can look forward to historic battles. It is rare that primaries, often viewed as chummy affairs decided by party members, create the excitement we saw in 2026.
In Maine, for example, Democrats tied themselves into a knot so tight that historic, convoluted and frantic activities had to be employed to determine a candidate for the United States Senate.
Maine U.S. Sen. Susan Collins is targeted by Democrats in their quest to take over the Senate. Polls indicate she is vulnerable because of her voting record that unquestioningly supports President Donald Trump.
Democrats are counting on gaining the majority in the Senate by flipping some Republican seats including the one occupied by Collins.
Maine Democrats thought they had the ideal candidate to defeat Collins: Graham Platner, who portrayed himself as a working-class oyster farmer and said he cared about Maine residents over upper income Republicans.
Platner, a Marine veteran, said he lived a fairly simple life and has never been close to money and power.
Unfortunately for Democrats, his background was, apparently, never vetted by Democratic officials both nationally and in Maine.
Platner won the June 9 primary despite rumors of sexual abuse. He remained the bright hope for Democrats to unseat Collins. He eventually dropped out July 8 forcing Maine Democrats to scramble and hand pick a candidate at a hastily called party convention.
None of the shenanigans by Democrats would have been necessary had someone checked out Platners claims.
That checking out process is called vetting potential candidates.
Heres the Marriam-Webster Dictionarys definition of vetting.
To evaluate for possible approval or acceptance vet the candidate for a position.
While the Democrats were congratulating themselves on finding the perfect candidate, others were vetting Platner.
In May, a month before the primary, The Washington Free Beacon, a conservative publication Covering the enemies of freedom the way the mainstream media wont, disputed Platners claim of having never been close to money and power.
The Beacon reported that Platners oyster business partner, Robert Cushman III, owned a private island, Ingalls Island, where the oyster farm, The Frenchman Bay Oyster Company, is located.
Far from living a fairly simple life and never close to money and power, Platner was involved in a business with an ultra-rich partner.
MS Now political show host Lawrence ODonnell, who describes himself as a practical European socialist, reported that Platners oysters were primarily sold to his mother who owns a restaurant. ODonnell also reported that when Platner purchased a $210,000 home, his father provided $200,000 for the purchase.
Would Platner have ever been considered a viable United States Senate candidate if Democrats had bothered to look into his background?
Closer to home here in southern Wisconsin, Democrats made the same mistake when they gushed over Randy Bryce aka Ironstache. The all-knowing class in Washington showered Bryce with campaign contributions and Congressman Mark Pocan led a rally for Bryce in Janesville.
In the end, Bryce was soundly defeated in a bid to unseat Speaker of the House Paul Ryan. The most damaging issue in Bryces past was that he failed to pay child support for his son, the same son he used in his campaign ads.
Have all the candidates in the November elections been properly vetted? We shall see in the next few months.