Graham Platner received glowing media coverage before exit from Senate race

Before Graham Platner’s dramatic exit from the Maine Senate race last week, the Democratic hopeful received glowing coverage from legacy media pushing the narrative that he was a well-heeled oyster farmer who could win back male voters and unseat longtime Republican incumbent Susan Collins.

Now out of the running after multiple scandals, including a rape allegation from an ex-girlfriend that he denies, friendly news is being reviewed for a second time.

The Guardian was among the first outlets to publish a profile on Platner, publishing a story last August headlined: “This Maine oysterman thinks Democrats are ‘ghosting’ on fascism. That’s why he’s running for the US Senate.”

The publication told readers that Platner did not appear to be a “stereotypical progressive,” listing his credits as “a veteran, oysterman and competitive shooter” and adding that he spent his weekends “at the local gunnery.”

GRAHAM PLATNER’S TOP PRESS ALLIES ABANDONED HIM AS HE LOSED THE RAPE ALLEGED MAINE SENATE RACE

“Platner believes the party needs an outsider. He believes established Democratic candidates have repeatedly failed to appeal to working-class Americans, fueling the rise of MAGA.” wrote. “Surveying the American political scene, Platner bristles at a Democratic party more interested in raising money than helping people, a party willing to appease Maga, a party willing to meet him in the middle rather than fight him.”

The New Yorker praised Platner’s campaign launch video in its own profile, saying it portrayed him as a “tough and likeable working-class Democratic candidate” but that “it could just as easily be the opening of a reality TV show called ‘Oyster Man.'”

Lisa Wood Shapiro wrote in the New Yorker: “A macho pastiche with a Jeep jingle shows him diving in a wetsuit, chopping wood, carrying oyster cages, and doing kettlebell swings. There are close-ups of his tattoos and shots of him holding hands with his wife.” piece.

Shapiro claimed “several,” citing “support from both sides of the aisle.” [Donald] Trump supporters said they would vote for him despite his left-wing platform.

“I’ve had Platner’s number for years and take orders for oysters from his boat. I’ve seen him shucking oysters at parties and fundraisers… Soon my friends were drinking gin and tonics and discussing how they knew he would be famous,” Shapiro enthused.

APPLE AND GOOGLE HAVE SUPPRESSED NEGATIVE GRAHAM PLATNER STORIES ON NEWS PLATFORMS FOR MONTHS, ACCORDING TO INVESTIGATION FINDINGS.

The Washington Post highlighted Platner in its September report titled “Meet the 2026 Midterms’ Strongmen.”

“They are scrappy, well-built, middle-aged White military veterans who work with their hands, and they look much more comfortable wearing plaid flannels than pinstripe suits. And they think the anti-establishment populism Republicans have embraced in the Trump era could work another way, too,” the Post wrote. wrote About Platner and other Democratic candidates.

Graham Platner was forced to withdraw from the Maine Senate race after an allegation of sexual assault emerged, which he categorically denies. (Graeme Sloan/Getty Images)

Journalist Ross Barkan wrote for GQ in October, “Sailor-turned-Clamshell Graham Platner is Ready to Fight Trump. Will the MAGA Men Join Him?” wrote a profile of Platner titled:

“In the battle for the soul of the Democratic Party, Senate candidate Graham Platner may be the perfect soldier: the strong, worldly working man with the staunchly left-wing views many voters demand, the strong, worldly working man many male politicians wish for,” Barkan began. profile.

Barkan boasted about Platner’s “friendly grunt” and how “hugely attractive” he was to progressive Democrats trying to win back men.

“Oyster man joins the list of anti-establishment candidates across America: men—yes, mostly men—who are channeling growing anger at the status quo,” Barkan wrote. “Platner suggests that Trump voters may still return to the Democratic coalition. He just gave me an oyster coming out of water. It tastes salty, then sweet. If he’s elected, he’s unlikely to attend many parties in D.C. or campaign fundraisers in wine caves.”

PLATNER REMEMBER ‘GASLIGHTING’ AND ‘BETRAYAL’ FROM NY TIMES WHEN COMING OUT WITH ACCUSING ALLEGATIONS

Liberal New York Times columnist Michelle Goldberg wrote extensively praising Platner’s candidacy and how he was able to weather controversies such as his Nazi tattoo and offensive Reddit posts, saying Platner was “nothing like the fringe lord caricature I’ve encountered online” when she flew to Maine to meet him in October; He was stunned by the crowd he drew, saying many locals claimed they hadn’t seen him since Barack Obama. He also said Platner’s claim that he did not know the skull and crossbones tattoo was the Totenkopf symbol was “substantially convincing.”

Goldberg said, “On stage, Platner is charming. Like Obama, he seems to promise fundamentally progressive politics while moving beyond vile partisan attacks. He respects his audience by at least appearing to be on their level.” wrote In that case. “But the big difference with Obama is that Platner is visibly angry… That anger resonates with a base that is both horrified and angry.”

NYT COLUMN SAYS HE ‘DEEPLY’ REGRETS FOR MAKING THE SENATE HOPEFUL AFTER RAPE ALLEGATIONS

New York Times columnist Michelle Goldberg fawned over Graham Platner in multiple pieces and said she “deeply” regretted the situation. (Robert Nickelsberg/Getty Images)

In a separate piece published in April, Goldberg told Times readers that a voter he met had connected him to Obama during his 2008 presidential bid, and that it happened “naturally,” adding, “I could feel the charge in the air — that rare alchemy that comes when a politician can draw a crowd to a shared vision of the future,” he recalled.

“One lesson from the Democratic Senate primaries in Maine is that no one should underestimate the angry anger of party voters,” Goldberg said. in question. “Maine Democrats, many of whom have personally seen Platner tirelessly barnstorming the state, appeared ready to ignore the negative stories.”

Goldberg later said he “deeply” regretted being attracted to Platner after he was accused of sexual assault by his ex-girlfriend Jenny Racicot, which he strongly denied.

Back in May, Time Magazine featured him on its cover, declaring him a “Party Bootlegger.”

“Platner’s story reads like a movie script: At a time when Democratic voters are eager for outsiders to shake up the system, a gruff, gruff-voiced Marine Corps veteran from Sullivan, Maine (pop. 1,300) arrives as their new national star.” Time wrote. “He is sweeping the state with a bellicose brand of economic populism, building a following so quickly that he forces his centrist rival, two-term Democratic governor Janet Mills, to drop out of the race before voters can cast their ballots. Even in this anti-establishment, unabashedly ageist political era, Platner’s rise is remarkable.”

TIME MAGAZINE COVER ON GRAHAM PLATNER RAISED EYEBROWS ON THE INTERNET

Just a few weeks before Graham Platner dropped out of the Maine Senate race, he received a Time Magazine cover story in which he was referred to as a “party crasher.” (Greta Rybus/Time Magazine)

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Time marveled at how voters “swayed toward Platner” despite the various controversies, writing: “After decades of nominating buttoned-up technocrats with glittering resumes, many Democrats want candidates with flaws, faded ink, and redemption arcs similar to their own. In other words, Platner’s past may actually be his way.”

“Platner ran his hand over his auburn beard and began his speech: He doesn’t want to join the Senate to be part of a system. He wants to tear that system apart and build a better one. But he admits that requires a leap of faith for voters to believe that he won’t betray their values ​​and that he is truly transformed. ‘There’s an element of that, too,’ Platner admits. ‘I actually have to say, ‘Trust me, brother,'” The time piece is complete.