Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Graham Platner was a political unknown less than a year ago. Since then, the military combat veteran has vaulted to the front of Maine's Senate race riding on an agenda to tax the rich and offer government-funded healthcare to all Americans.
And he's done it entirely outside the Democratic party's establishment, handpicked by a group of independent activists — Daniel Moraff, Leanne Fan and Morris Katz.
WSJ's Aaron Zitner reports from Maine and New York on how these activists are recruiting working-class candidates across the country to promote their agenda. In Platner, they found a strong messenger -- but one with a string of controversies that have made him one of the Democrats' riskiest candidates in the 2026 midterm elections.
Chapters:
0:00 Who is Graham Planter?
1:22 Early campaign days and controversies
3:02 The activist couple who found Platner
9:24 Morris Katz on why Platner is worth the risk
13:29 The road to November
Read more about the rise of Graham Platner here: on.wsj.com/4erZJlL
WSJ Originals features in-depth reporting, investigations and on-the-ground journalism that uncovers the forces shaping business, politics and the world around us.
#Maine #Midterms #WSJ
Graham Platner was a political unknown less than a year ago. Since then, the military combat veteran has vaulted to the front of Maine's Senate race riding on an agenda to tax the rich and offer government-funded healthcare to all Americans.
And he's done it entirely outside the Democratic party's establishment, handpicked by a group of independent activists — Daniel Moraff, Leanne Fan and Morris Katz.
WSJ's Aaron Zitner reports from Maine and New York on how these activists are recruiting working-class candidates across the country to promote their agenda. In Platner, they found a strong messenger -- but one with a string of controversies that have made him one of the Democrats' riskiest candidates in the 2026 midterm elections.
Chapters:
0:00 Who is Graham Planter?
1:22 Early campaign days and controversies
3:02 The activist couple who found Platner
9:24 Morris Katz on why Platner is worth the risk
13:29 The road to November
Read more about the rise of Graham Platner here: on.wsj.com/4erZJlL
WSJ Originals features in-depth reporting, investigations and on-the-ground journalism that uncovers the forces shaping business, politics and the world around us.
#Maine #Midterms #WSJ
