No, no White dudes. You own Graham Platner

We knew this day would come. 

The day when even worse opposition research dropped on Graham Platner. And, to be honest, there likely is even more that the GOP is hoarding that would have been released down the road. This is what happens when you prop up a candidate on "vibes" and nothing else. Because other than hitting all the right notes that made him a far-left darling, Graham Platner was a seriously flawed candidate. Nazi tattoos. Racist. Antisemitic. Anti-woman. Perverted. Infidelity. The only thing surprising about him sexually assaulting a woman is the fact that the story didn't surface sooner. Women, especially Black women, called it from day one. They saw the creepiness displayed. They saw someone who would be a problematic drunk. They saw someone who, to be honest, simply didn't respect women. And they saw someone who not only displayed these patterns in the past, but who continued displaying these patterns on the campaign trail as he ran for the United States Senate. 

But men ignored all these signs. 

Specifically White men. Because they needed someone who came from the "working class." Someone who served in the military. Someone who was a self-made man, fighting off the evil oligarchy, championing Medicare-for-All and, of course, siding with the Gaza Groupies. White men saw Graham Platner as one of their own and went all-in to paint him as the face of their movement during this election cycle. Platner became the darling of the far-left and earned the praises of countless White progressives throughout the last ten months. Among these adoring fans were:

Bernie Sanders: “Graham is a Marine and Army National Guard veteran, an oyster farmer, and a proud member of America’s working class. He’s a Mainer through and through, and he is building a movement strong enough to take on the oligarchy that is making Maine unaffordable for all except a privileged few. We need senators in Washington who are prepared to take on the billionaire class and fight for working people."

Jon Favreau: "Graham Platner isn’t just our best and only chance to beat Susan Collins, he’s a good, decent man who’s struggled and grown and is always trying to do better.  I hope everyone with reservations takes a little time to get to know the real life version of him, not what the algorithm throws in our faces. Clearly, that’s what so many people in Maine have done - from all different walks of life and political persuasions." 

Track AIPAC: "🎉 ENDORSEMENT ALERT! 🎉  We are excited to support @grahamformaine to replace AIPAC's Senator Susan Collins!  Graham Platner is courageously calling out the genocide in Gaza and has taken a principled stand by rejecting support from AIPAC and the rest of the pro-genocide Israel lobby. This is the moral clarity and integrity we desperately need in the Senate.  Mainers deserve a senator who will fight for their healthcare, their economic security, and their futures, not for the interests of a foreign government.  Join us in supporting a leader who puts Mainers and American values first!"  

Our Revolution: "Our Revolution is excited to get to work to elect Graham Platner for U.S. Senate in Maine!  Graham is a Marine veteran, oysterman, and lifelong Mainer who knows what it means to work hard — and what it feels like when the system is rigged against working people. He’s running to take on Republican Senator Susan Collins and fight for a government that serves the people, not the powerful.  As a small business owner who works Maine’s coastal waters, Graham has seen firsthand how corporate greed and political corruption threaten local economies, the environment, and our democracy. He’s stepping up to defend workers’ rights, protect Maine’s natural resources, and fight for affordable health care, housing, and education for all.  Graham represents the kind of working-class leadership Our Revolution was built to support — authentic, service-driven, and unafraid to challenge the billionaire class. He’s not backed by corporate PACs or big-money interests — he’s powered by people.  Now, we need to power his campaign all the way to victory.  Join us in supporting Graham Platner’s grassroots campaign to unseat Susan Collins and deliver real change for working families.  👉 Chip in $5 today to help Our Revolution get out the vote for Graham Platner and progressive candidates across the country!  When we organize, we win.  — The Our Revolution Election Team"  

David Hogg's Leaders We Deserve PAC: "After our historic loss in the 2024 election, conversations within the Democratic Party have rightly centered on age, the loss of young men, the working class, and the growing disillusionment of young voters. As our party charts a path forward, Graham Platner represents not the entire solution, but a vital step in the right direction.”  

Maine Chapter of DSA: "It should be a safe assumption that everyone reading this voter guide knows about Graham Platner or at least has heard about him, for better or for worse. Platner skyrocketed into the political limelight after appearing with Bernie Sanders at his Fight the Oligarchy tour in Portland and has continued to draw enormous crowds with his fiery, outspoken critiques of the billionaire class. His populism speaks to the frustrations of the working class, feeling that the system is set up against us, and he does it with genuine conviction that resonates with regular people - something the Democratic party seems allergic to. He supports Medicare for all, taxing the wealthy, ending the genocide in Gaza, getting private equity out of housing, abolishing ICE, and all the other progressive/lefty policies. It’s proof that if you can capture the attention of voters, a leftist platform is popular and deeply felt. This is an exciting campaign that could represent a seismic shift in our country’s political movement as the fracture within the Democratic party widens and leaves the uninspiring centrist party leaders on unstable ground. Look – Platner isn’t the perfect candidate. His unforced errors reflect a campaign that needs to tighten up and stop running like they know he’s in the lead. We aren’t going to rehash all the very real concerns about his time as a Blackwater mercenary, or online posting history, or his lack of careful language. But his campaign is riding a wave of populist anger against MAGA and provides a crucial opportunity to take out the forever unpopular, but still powerful, Susan Collins. If someone is committed to growth and shows a willingness to be better than they have been, then we have to take this chance while it’s available.  We RECOMMEND that you vote for Graham Platner for U.S. Senate."

To all of those mentioned: Receipts, motherfuckers.

Because you all ignored the obvious red flags on Platner due to the fact that your privilege allowed you to do so. You were so desperate to have him as your guy that you continued to move the goal posts over the past ten months. You engaged in the DARVO practice done by abusers and enablers and you gaslit us into trying to convince us not to trust our eyes when it came to Platner's very real, problematic history. You blamed the DNC, the Establishment, and AIPAC each time a news story broke. You rejected the very real pain of women, first the women of the initial New York Times story, and later with Jenny Racicot before you finally admitted that maybe your guy wasn't all he was cracked up to be. Your red line was not a Nazi tattoo, or perverted social media posts, or inappropriate behavior with multiple women, or even infidelity. No, it took a credible witness describing an obvious sexual assault that made you finally realize your chosen one may not be the kind of candidate you thought he was. An observation that was clear to the rest of us ten months ago. 

Moving forward, you all are done. Finished. You no longer get to tell us who we should be voting for. You no longer get to have an outsized influenced on the Democratic Party. Not only did you fuck up with Platner, but we all saw your ageism and sexism against Janet Mills in that very same race. But rather than gravitate toward the safe, competent woman, you all went all-in on the perverted, violent oyster farmer simply because he had a penis. You may try to convince yourselves otherwise, but that was the only reason you held onto Graham Platner as long as you did. You needed him to be your bro, your dude. You needed someone to be the face of the far-left this election cycle. And believe it or not, you succeeded! From this point forward when Democrats think of the far-left and its candidates, we will immediate think of Graham Planter who perfectly epitomizes your movement. Because it is a movement based on rampant racism, antisemitism, and misogyny by underwhelming White men who have zero business ever being elected to public office. Graham Platner is now the face of your movement and you don't ever get to live that down. 

Not today. Not tomorrow. Not ever.