As Democrats pick up the pieces after Graham Platner, many wonder: how did this happen?

The former US Senate candidate’s spectacular fall has upended the Maine Senate race and left voters fuming at the party Almost exactly one year ago, Graham Platner, who has no political experience, was cherry-picked by out-of-state political activists. According to a person familiar with the campaign, Daniel Moraff and Leanne Fan, who have made a name for themselves by recruiting populist candidates across the country, traveled to Maine and rented a house near Platner’s home in Sullivan to convince him to run for the US Senate. Throughout the process, Moraff became Platner’s “right-hand man”, the person described, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of backlash. Continue reading...

Shrai Popat · Sat, Jul 11, 2026, 5:00 AM
US news | The Guardian

As Democrats pick up the pieces after Graham Platner, many wonder: how did this happen?

The former US Senate candidate’s spectacular fall has upended the Maine Senate race and left voters fuming at the party

Almost exactly one year ago, Graham Platner, who has no political experience, was cherry-picked by out-of-state political activists.

According to a person familiar with the campaign, Daniel Moraff and Leanne Fan, who have made a name for themselves by recruiting populist candidates across the country, traveled to Maine and rented a house near Platner’s home in Sullivan to convince him to run for the US Senate. Throughout the process, Moraff became Platner’s “right-hand man”, the person described, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of backlash.

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