A political-media take on how scandal no longer sinks populist candidates, framed as a problem for Republicans betting on the attack.

• Hunter Biden publicly defended Maine candidate Graham Platner, arguing leaked personal content and an old tattoo shouldn't disqualify him.
• Platner is running on kitchen-table issues — free healthcare, college costs, workers getting squeezed by billionaires — and trying to avoid culture-war fights.
• The bet is that Maine voters don't think Platner is a Nazi, even if he lied about when he learned what his tattoo meant.
• The bigger claim: voters now assume politicians lie, so character attacks land weakly in this "post-character" era Trump cemented.
• Zohran Mamdani's win is held up as the model — a populist who survived because opponents found little dirt on him.

Outlook: Republicans leaning on the tattoo over affordability likely keep helping Platner, who's expected to stay competitive.