What is today’s Democrat Party? The party on the left of the American political spectrum is in the midst of an identity crisis.

The old guard is fast being replaced by a crop of new, radically progressive candidates who openly embrace socialism and increasingly espouse Marxist ideology. The so-called Democratic Socialists have not only made inroads but appear to be taking over the party of the donkey, with the election of Zohran Mamdani as New York City mayor representing their most successful victory to date.

Running as populist socialists, these radical Democrats have seen success in this year’s primary elections, with a prime example being Graham Platner, who easily won Maine’s Democrat Senate primary this week.

As we and many others have noted, Platner is a problematic and deeply flawed candidate with a checkered past and present. He seemingly has an unending record of controversial and immoral behavior, which should have disqualified him from consideration a long time ago. Furthermore, his political philosophy is so fundamentally anti-American that, on that principle alone, his candidacy should have never gotten off the ground.

But with the vast majority of the Democrat Party apparently suffering mightily from Trump Derangement Syndrome, Platner has not only gotten a pass from party leadership, but even endorsements from the likes of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. Think about that — the highest-ranking Jewish American in history endorsed the guy with a Nazi tattoo.

That said, there is one Democrat lawmaker apparently sane enough to call out Platner for the bad apple he is. That Democrat is Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman, who has stood firm against Platner even as other Democrat leaders, such as the aforementioned Schumer, as well as Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, have stood by their endorsements of the problematic candidate.

As revelations broke regarding Platner’s use of a sexting app known as Kik, as well as allegations from former girlfriends of his abusive actions against them, Fetterman issued a warning to fellow Democrats. “I’m saying that the last time Democrats leaned in on a guy that was sending, you know, [these] kinds of messages to women, I think that was like [Eric] Swalwell, you know,” he said. “I don’t know, that’s not someone I’m never gonna carry water for.”

When rumors floated that Democrats should get behind Maine Governor Janet Mills, who suspended her campaign in April, Fetterman didn’t explicitly call for that, but he continued his criticism of Platner. “I think you shouldn’t send, you know, sexually explicit texts or d*** pics or whatever he sends to all these women on Kik,” he said. “He smears Chris Kyle, you know, the American Sniper, cheers about the beating [of] IDF soldiers to death. … He’s done so much bizarre and tacky and gross stuff that you lose count, you know, it’s like you need to have like a bingo card.”

Platner’s response before winning the primary was to blast Fetterman as “an a**hole,” adding, “He’s said mean things about me. I’m allowed to say that.”

And the back-and-forth has only continued.

Besides Fetterman’s repeatedly expressed concerns over Platner’s growing list of moral depravity, it appears that a significant issue dividing the two is also increasingly dividing the party itself. That issue is opposition to antisemitism and support for Israel.

Fetterman has remained staunchly supportive of Israel, both during its war in Gaza against Hamas and its joint strike actions with the U.S. against Iran.

Platner blasted Fetterman over his support for Israel in a post on X: “John Fetterman seems to genuinely think that the reason no one likes him is because he refuses to wear a suit. It’s not the hoodie, dude. It’s because you’ve become a stooge for AIPAC and the Republican party.” The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) is a favorite bogeyman of the antisemitic crowd.

Many Democrats remain nervous about Platner, as they should be. Who knows what other scandalous revelations may come out about the man? Indeed, Platner may turn out to be the best thing to happen to Republican incumbent Senator Susan Collins’s campaign.

That said, should Platner prevail and win the election in November, it’s a good bet that this growing civil war within the Democrat Party won’t go away. That’s because the deeper underlying issue is a clash of worldviews. The question is, how many Democrats are willing to fully jump on the Marxist bandwagon and go full-blown socialist, if not outright communist?