Rabb said that if he had a problematic tattoo related to white supremacy, he would not be viable even in a majority-Black district because the money would not be there.
After Platner's withdrawal, several Democratic women expressed frustration.
Annie Andrews, the Democratic Senate nominee in South Carolina, posted on X: "I'm just a girl, running for the US Senate, with a medical degree, a record of service, and a non-problematic past."
Michelle White, executive director of Emily's List, said in a video: "Time after time, we have to watch strong women candidates get dismissed and treated like a backup plan, while some disastrous men take up all the oxygen."
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In Texas, state house candidate Sara McGee disclosed her "deepest, darkest secrets," including a teenage DUI and old debts, expressing disbelief that some Democrats accept disqualifying characteristics in candidates because "MAGA 'did it worse'."
Kelly Dittmar, a scholar at the Center for American Women in Politics, said women often start from a deficit, needing to prove they fit voters' expectations of leadership.
"Who can best run authentically on all of their many identities are those whose identities are privileged across the board," she said.
Research shows women weigh how a campaign would affect their families and careers, while men are more likely to run simply because they want the job.
Women are held to a higher moral and ethical standard, a phenomenon called the "character pedestal," where voters expect women to be more honest and trustworthy than men.
