This column was originally published by TheStatehouseFile.com.
By John Krull
TheStatehouseFile.com
July 10, 2026
The medical mystery surrounding U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, and the political meltdown of Maine Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner together illustrate much of what is wrong with American politics today.
Many, many ambitious people in this country see running for and holding public office as an opportunity.
Too many of them see it as an entitlement, a bequest that grants them a release from following basic rules of conduct, including honesty and consideration for the views and needs of others.
And too few of them consider public service a duty, a sacred obligation that carries with it more sacrifices than benefits.
Consider McConnell’s situation.
The long-serving senator has been in the hospital since June 14. The only people who say they have talked with him have been GOP partisans. They all assure us that he’s doing fine and that he’s tracking the affairs of the nation from his hospital bed.
But they refuse to let anyone who is not a partisan Republican see him.
There are, of course, political considerations.
Because McConnell’s health has been a concern for several years, the Kentucky legislature pushed through a measure that strips the governor—currently Democrat Andy Beshear—of the authority to appoint a replacement senator in the event of a death or resignation.
Beshear vetoed the measure, which called for any replacement to be chosen through a special election, but the overwhelmingly Republican legislature overrode his veto.
The bottom line is that, should McConnell die or resign, Beshear wouldn’t be able to pick a Democrat to take his spot. McConnell is retiring and the regular election to fill his seat is less than four months away.
Thus, the GOP would find itself down a vote for the rest of the year.
Republicans have a solid 53-47 majority in the Senate, which normally would be enough to absorb the loss of a single seat.
Given President Donald Trump’s campaign to purge the GOP of all Republicans who don’t meet his exacting standards of sycophancy, there are members of the party’s caucus—U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis, R-North Carolina and U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa—who have become wild cards.
So, Republicans are determined to hold onto that seat in Kentucky at all costs.
Platner’s story is different.
A political outsider who has touted his “authenticity” as his calling card, Platner has been dogged by scandals from the moment he emerged as a political force.
Some of them were head-scratchers.
For example, he apparently is the only grown man in the United States not part of the fascist fringe to think that having a tattoo featuring Nazi symbols wouldn’t be disturbing to many Americans.
But some—particularly the most recent ones—have been downright disturbing.
Several women have accused him of, at best, sexual harassment and, at worst, sexual assault. He’s denied the allegations, but he also now has suspended his campaign and is expected to formally exit the race.
All this raises the question: If he knew he had these skeletons in his closet, why did he run in the first place?
Why did he ask thousands of people to put their time, energy and money behind him and their trust with him?
Platner’s dwindling band of defenders argue that he merely walked the trail blazed by President Trump, whom a court determined had committed sexual assault.
There are at least two problems with that argument.
The first is that the lowest common denominator shouldn’t set the standard.
There shouldn’t be a partisan defense for sexual assault. It should be considered a crime and punished regardless of whether a Republican or a Democrat does it.
In years to come, many Republicans will be ashamed that they defended this president and his conduct. Privately, some of them already are.
But the other problem is the assumption that somehow Platner, like McConnell, was entitled to the benefit of the doubt—that the presumption should be in his favor.
That’s not the way this is supposed to work.
The people we entrust with the authority accompanying government office have great power—the power to shape and affect people’s lives for good or ill. In exchange for that power, we expect them to place the public’s interest ahead of their own.
The burden should be on them to demonstrate that they merit that trust.
That’s why we call it service.
Public service.
John Krull is director of Franklin College’s Pulliam School of Journalism and publisher of TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students. The views expressed are those of the author only and should not be attributed to Franklin College. Also, the views and opinions expressed are those of the author only and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Indiana Citizen or any other affiliated organization.
