Welcome back to The Red Letter.
Graham Platner’s political career is on life support.
The Democratic Senate nominee in Maine who built a national profile on his image as a tattooed oyster farmer and Marine—an unconventional brand that helped make him a Democratic darling— has canceled all of his campaign events while he weighs his next move. Meanwhile, everyone from Hasan Piker to Bernie Sanders and Chuck Schumer has called on him to drop out.
The Democratic National Committee has stopped running digital ads on his behalf. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee is reportedly threatening to withhold funding if he stays in the race. The Maine Democratic Party has urged him to step aside. And Troy Jackson, the former president of the Maine Senate who recently lost the Democratic gubernatorial primary, has already filed exploratory paperwork with the Federal Election Commission to run in his place.
In today’s video, I break down how the Democratic Party got here, how political parties navigate allegations of abuse against their own candidates, and why I believed there were deeper problems from the moment the first allegations surfaced.
If you’d like to read what I’ve previously written on this developing check out:
This edition of The Red Letter is free thanks to our sponsor Ground News.
One thing I love about Ground News is that it helps me challenge my own assumptions. As a journalist, I’m constantly asking whether I’m missing part of the story, and Ground News lets me compare how different outlets cover the exact same news side by side. It helps me spot blind spots in my own media diet and see perspectives I might not otherwise encounter.
Take California’s proposed billionaire tax—a measure that’s so controversial that even some Democrats, including Governor Gavin Newsom, oppose it. On Ground News, I can instantly compare how outlets across the political spectrum frame the debate, along with each publication’s political leaning, factuality rating, and ownership information. The New York Post describes it as a “raid on the rich,” while SFist focuses on the campaign to put the measure before voters. Same story. Two very different narratives.
That’s exactly why Ground News fits with what I’m trying to build here at The Red Letter. My mission isn’t to tell you what to think—it’s to give you the information and context to make up your own mind. Understanding not just what is being reported, but how it’s being reported, is part of becoming a more informed news consumer.
If you want to break out of your usual media bubble, compare coverage for yourself, and better understand the forces shaping the news you read every day, subscribe to Ground News using the link below and see the difference for yourself.
Subscribe to Ground News at groundnews.com/red to get 40% off the unlimited access Vantage plan and unlock world-wide perspectives on today’s biggest news stories.
Thank you Lorissa Rinehart, Ashleigh Alauren, Abi Baker, Farmers AGAINST trump., It’s Time 🇺🇦, and many others for tuning into my live video!
