Democrats need to rethink their image of a ‘man of the people’ | Judith Levine

For progressives too, working-class heroes are bearded, buff white guys. Their treatment of women can be overlooked Ana Marie Cox’s New Republic profile of the Maine oyster farmer and former Democratic senatorial candidate Graham Platner begins with an encounter on the shore with a salt in rubber boots. Learning that she’s looking for Platner, the guy says: “Good man.” In the 2025 article, Cox is charmed by Platner, who’s as voluble as this guy is terse. She’s impressed by the oyster, calling it a metaphor for “how labor, science, and regulation can still stitch together a community and economy.”. Continue reading...

Judith Levine · Fri, Jul 10, 2026, 5:00 AM
US news | The Guardian

Democrats need to rethink their image of a ‘man of the people’ | Judith Levine

For progressives too, working-class heroes are bearded, buff white guys. Their treatment of women can be overlooked

Ana Marie Cox’s New Republic profile of the Maine oyster farmer and former Democratic senatorial candidate Graham Platner begins with an encounter on the shore with a salt in rubber boots. Learning that she’s looking for Platner, the guy says: “Good man.”

In the 2025 article, Cox is charmed by Platner, who’s as voluble as this guy is terse. She’s impressed by the oyster, calling it a metaphor for “how labor, science, and regulation can still stitch together a community and economy.”.

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