Stewart Gushes Over Platner, Compares Him To 'Mr. Smith Goes To Washington'

Alex Christy
April 30th, 2026 12:42 PM

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Comedy Central’s host of The Weekly Show podcast and card-carrying member of the Graham Platner Fan Club, Jon Stewart, welcomed the far-left Maine Senate candidate to Wednesday’s go gush over him by comparing him to Jimmy Stewart’s character in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and lament all the focus on his Nazi tattoos.

Stewart was in awe at Platner’s rise, “The entire setup is somewhat Disney-esque. Well, first of all, there's, kind of, always the fable of a Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, a kind of, you know, an honest man who has real ideals facing off against a corrupt system that is fueled by money and toxicity and all these—so there is an archetype for this.”

 

 

He then wondered, “Why did the, sort of, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington thing to catch such fire? What do you think you tapped into? What frustrations were it that you were able to articulate so well early on that people just caught on to? 'Cause it wasn't, you weren't, if I may, like, you weren't mimicking any other politician to my mind. I mean, there's hints of Sanders in there, but like, you were definitely a bit iconoclastic when it came to what you were putting out there. And it didn't seem focus-grouped and considered or any of the other artifices that occur with a lot of politicians. So, what kind of took off?”

According to Platner, “I actually have politics… throughout my life, through my experiences overseas, coming home, my disillusionment, I went looking for answers. And in the looking for answers, I read a lot of books, and I developed, frankly, a theory of power. I developed a deep critique of the American, not just the political system, but like, the party that I've always been a part of. I mean, I've been a Democrat, I mean, I've always been a registered Democrat. I've also, my entire life, been very frustrated with the party that I'm in.”

Stewart briefly interrupted to agree, “You and me both, sister.”

Platner then continued and suggested the problem with Democrats is that they are not power-drunk enough, “The Democratic Party's never been able to articulate what it's trying to do. Like, what's the end goal? Never really articulates a clear set of policies that— to get us there. And then never, never seems to want to wield power to make those policies a reality.”

Later, Platner would cite FDR’s court packing scheme as a positive example of “a theory of power.” That’s not Jefferson Smith; that’s just someone who is power-mad.

Of course, one cannot talk about Graham Platner without talking about his Nazi tattoos, and even Stewart couldn’t avoid that, although he clearly wanted to:

Graham, can I ask you a question? It's a slight change of topic. But, like, well, first of all, let me just say, you know, all I heard about you for a while was, ‘Hey, this guy's got a fucked-up tattoo and some Reddit posts that aren't any good.’ And yet, as I talk to you, your candidacy, the way that it's resonating with people, it couldn't make more sense. It's logical. It has, I can almost watch the bottom stair, and you're walking up the stairs as something that is organic and builds naturally and makes total sense.”

He also lamented, “So, I imagine the frustration, and I'm not saying people's backgrounds shouldn't also be a part of their story and the challenges that they face and some of the things. But I'm saying it must have been a slightly frustrating experience to see the story that you're describing, which feels so organic and so grassroots and so common sense oriented, be overshadowed by things that you might have regretted, not done exactly right, or also have no real bearing.”

 

 

Platner’s man-of-the-people shtick then took a back seat as he essentially told people to shut up, “Yeah, I mean, it is—it was a uniquely frustrating experience. It still is sometimes 'cause it, you know, but to, like, see myself being framed by people who have never met me, who know absolutely nothing about my background, really, who, like, just latched on to this, like, ‘Oh, this guy said dumb things on the internet 15 years ago.’ And I'm like, ‘Yeah, man, I did. 'Cause I was like an angry young dude who got back from my fourth combat tour and, like, was isolated and lonely and spent time bitching on the internet.’”

The day after this episode was posted online, Gov. Janet Mills suspended her campaign, clearing the way for Platner to take on Sen. Susan Collins in November in a race that could decide who controls the Senate. If Democratic candidates are going to endorse court packing, they deserve much more scrutiny than what Jon Stewart provided.

Here is a transcript for the April 29 show:

Comedy Central The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart

4/29/2026

JON STEWART: I have to tell you—

GRAHAM PLATNER: It’s insane.

STEWART: The entire setup is somewhat Disney-esque. Well, first of all, there's, kind of, always the fable of a Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, a kind of, you know, an honest man who has real ideals facing off against a corrupt system that is fueled by money and toxicity and all these—so there is an archetype for this. But I'm curious in your mind, why did the, sort of, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington thing to catch such fire? What do you think you tapped into? What frustrations were it that you were able to articulate so well early on that people just caught on to?

'Cause it wasn't, you weren't, if I may, like, you weren't mimicking any other politician to my mind. I mean, there's hints of Sanders in there, but like, you were definitely a bit iconoclastic when it came to what you were putting out there. And it didn't seem focus-grouped and considered or any of the other artifices that occur with a lot of politicians. So, what kind of took off?

PATLNER: I think it's, honestly, I think it's two things. The first is that I actually have politics.

STEWART: Right.

PLATNER: Like, I have a, over the years, throughout my life, through my experiences overseas, coming home, my disillusionment, I went looking for answers. And in the looking for answers, I read a lot of books, and I developed, frankly, a theory of power. I developed a deep critique of the American, not just the political system, but like, the party that I've always been a part of. I mean, I've been a Democrat, I mean, I've always been a registered Democrat. I've also, my entire life, been very frustrated with the party that I'm in.

STEWART: You and me both, sister.

PLATNER: Primarily around that theory of power thing.

STEWART: Right.

PLATNER: I mean, I honestly have always been like—we can never articulate—the Democratic Party's never been able to articulate what it's trying to do. Like, what's the end goal? Never really articulates a clear set of policies that— to get us there. And then never, never seems to want to wield power to make those policies a reality.

…

STEWART: Graham, can I ask you a question? It's a slight change of topic. But, like, well, first of all, let me just say, you know, all I heard about you for a while was, “Hey, this guy's got a fucked-up tattoo and some Reddit posts that aren't any good.”

PLATNER: Yes. Yeah.

STEWART: And yet, as I talk to you, your candidacy, the way that it's resonating with people, it couldn't make more sense. It's logical. It has, I can almost watch the bottom stair, and you're walking up the stairs as something that is organic and builds naturally and makes total sense.

So, I imagine the frustration, and I'm not saying people's backgrounds shouldn't also be a part of their story—

PLATNER: Right.

STEWART: —and the challenges that they face and some of the things. But I'm saying it must have been a slightly frustrating experience to see the story that you're describing, which feels so organic and so grassroots and so common sense oriented, be overshadowed by things that you might have regretted, not done exactly right—

PLATNER: Yeah.

STEWART:  —or also have no real bearing.

PLATNER: Yeah, I mean, it is—it was a uniquely frustrating experience. It still is sometimes 'cause it, you know, but to, like, to see myself being framed by people who have never met me, who know absolutely nothing about my background, really, who, like, just latched on to this, like, “Oh, this guy said dumb things on the internet 15 years ago.”

And I'm like, “Yeah, man, I did. 'Cause I was like an angry young dude who got back from my fourth combat tour and, like, was isolated and lonely and spent time bitching on the internet.”

STEWART: Right. 

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