Senate candidate Graham Platner announced he was pulling out of the race on Wednesday evening, claiming nefarious forces and the political establishment had conspired to bring him down. Where have we heard that before?
Let’s talk for a minute about Graham Platner, a name you thankfully won’t have to remember. He was the Democrat Senate candidate in Maine – until he withdrew from the race on Wednesday evening, claiming nefarious forces and the political establishment had conspired to bring him down. Where have we heard that before?
Of course, what actually brought him down was a drip-drip of scandals culminating in accusations of sexual assault, which he says are false. But the accusations came on top of a string of questions about whether he was the right kind of person to represent the people of Maine, and the party in a crucial target seat if the Democrats want to seize control of the Senate in November’s midterms. There was the Nazi-style skull-and-crossbones tattoo on his chest (he says he didn’t know what it meant and had it covered up). There were the texts he allegedly sent to women who were not his wife, according to her. There were the three ex-girlfriends who told the New York Times about “toxic” or volatile behavior, including allegations he yanked one from a taxi (he denies these allegations).
An oysterman and former Marine, Platner had defeated frontrunner Janet Mills to be the candidate in the Primary last month. He was one of a number of “rugged Democrats” on the ballot for November’s primary – leaning into people with a blue collar, regular joe, beers and beards image in a bid to attract working class voters the Democrats lost to Trump. A lot of people see 27-year-old strategist Morris Katz as the architect of the movement. He’s best known for his role in Zohran Mamdani’s wildly successful campaign in New York. But things haven’t been so smooth with the other candidates he’s been involved with. He hand-picked Platner, deciding he was a viable candidate over a single cup of coffee and skimping on the background checks. He also advised the campaign of John Fetterman for Senate. Fetterman, an incredibly tall man who almost always wears a hoodie and baggy shorts. Fetterman can more often be seen these days defending Donald Trump on Fox News than espousing Democrat policies.
The reason I bring Katz up is because he’s been trying to sell his ideas over here too. He met with Labour MPs earlier this year, arguing the party should emulate his strategy. And it’s a compelling argument… until you look at how his candidates have actually fared.
“Just don’t believe this whole ‘dirt bag Democrats’ concept,” a Democrat insider told me. “It’s demeaning to actual working class people that lefty elites prop up people like Graham Platner because they think putting up candidates with poor character is reflective of working class preferences – it’s not!”
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