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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Shrai Popat

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

Graham Platner stands beside stacked oyster bags in a yard at dusk
Graham Platner in the yard of his home, with oyster bags piled behind him, in Sullivan, Maine, on 30 November 2025. Photograph: Portland Press Herald/Getty Images

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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