{"id":2611573,"date":"2026-06-07T05:53:01","date_gmt":"2026-06-07T09:53:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/meet-the-team-behind-graham-platners-rise\/"},"modified":"2026-06-07T05:57:10","modified_gmt":"2026-06-07T09:57:10","slug":"meet-the-team-behind-graham-platners-rise","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/meet-the-team-behind-graham-platners-rise\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet the team behind Graham Platner\u2019s rise"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">14<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fmeet-the-team-behind-graham-platners-rise%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2611573&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Graham Platner\u2019s Maine senate campaign has been shaped by a small network of political strategists, drawing attention for both its originality and the controversies now swirling around him. The article highlights how Daniel Moraff and Leanne Fan first connected with Platner after spotting him thru activism and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/cut-off-from-campaign-cash-omars-husband-turns-to-booze-biz\/\" title=\"Cut Off from ... Cash, Omar\u2019s Husband Turns to Booze Biz\">past work<\/a>,then pushed his candidacy as someone aligned with working-class economic ideas. It describes their background in recruiting and promoting outsiders through Democratic primaries, including other similar candidates and ties to <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >left-wing organizing<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>it then turns to Moraff and Fan\u2019s wider circle, especially strategist morris Katz, who has been credited for helping engineer Zohran Mamdani\u2019s successful run in New York. Katz is portrayed as a high-level media and ad operator who also played a role in Platner\u2019s campaign, but has since faced criticism for threatening a former staffer amid reporting about Platner\u2019s explicit text messages.<\/p>\n<p>while Platner\u2019s rise is attributed to these consultants\u2019 unconventional approach, the piece suggests that approach has not shielded him from growing political and personal fallout-leaving his future as the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/president-trump-to-headline-n-y-gop-event-on-august-5\/\" title=\"President Trump to headline N.Y. GOP event on August 5\">presumptive nominee<\/a> uncertain even as some polling shows him competing closely with Sen.Susan Collins.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Embattled <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/maine\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"193\">Maine<\/a> Democratic U.S. Senate candidate <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/graham-platner\/\">Graham Platner\u2019s<\/a> campaign team includes an interesting cast of characters.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">From the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/democratic-socialists-of-america\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"5861\">Democratic Socialists of America<\/a> couple who knocked on his door and recruited him to run to a pivotal adviser who helped elect <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/new-york-city\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"286\">New York City<\/a> Mayor <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/zohran-mamdani\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"11802\">Zohran Mamdani<\/a> last year, here are some members of the crew responsible for Platner\u2019s rise from obscurity to his now-uncertain future as the apparent nominee.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4597893\/trump-alabama-back-barry-moore-gop-senate-primary\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Trump urges Alabama to back Barry Moore as polls show tight GOP Senate primary<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4597934\/democrats-think-platner-can-move-past-this\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Democrats think Platner can \u2018say he\u2019s sorry and move past this\u2019: Byron York<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/entertainment\/4597863\/nyt-report-graham-platner-joe-concha\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>NYT report on Graham Platner is \u2018journalistic malfeasance\u2019: Joe Concha<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<h2 id=\"h-daniel-moraff-and-leanne-fan\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Daniel Moraff and Leanne Fan<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Who is arguably responsible for Platner\u2019s political career?<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Daniel Moraff and Leanne Fan.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Platner recounted his first meeting with Moraff and Fan during a recent appearance on <em>The<\/em> <em>Weekly Show with Jon Stewart<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cLast summer, end of July, some people came to my house,\u201d <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=-itNjgCJDxU&#038;t=488s\">Platner told Stewart<\/a>. \u201cThey had been in Maine for a few months \u2026 looking for someone to run for U.S. Senate against Susan Collins.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Platner, who last week denied allegations of sexual misconduct on top of mounting controversies uncovered from his Reddit account and other past public comments, said Moraff and Fan were \u201clooking specifically for a kind of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/black-lives-matters-most-prominent-chapter-launches-drive-targeting-police-unions\/\" title=\"Black Lives Matter\u2019s Most Prominent Chapter Launches Drive Targeting Police Unions\">working-class person<\/a> on working-class economic policies.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThey had found me because I did a video a few years ago fighting against a Norwegian salmon farm that was trying to come into our bay,\u201d the Marine veteran and oyster farmer said. \u201cThey looked me up, and they saw that I donated to Bernie Sanders, and they were like, \u2018Oh!&#8217;\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He added: \u201cMy wife and I, quite honestly, told them to f*** off because that was the weirdest, most random thing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Though Moraff and Fan remain adamant that they called first after discovering Platner through <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wabi.tv\/2025\/03\/01\/demonstrators-gather-outside-ellsworth-city-hall-part-statewide-protests\/\">Maine\u2019s union network<\/a> and a <em>New York Times<\/em> <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/07\/04\/travel\/maine-oyster-trail.html\">travelogue about oysters<\/a>, the pair persevered and Platner, who in April pushed popular Gov. Janet Mills (D-ME) out of the primary, relented.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Moraff, a political consultant at Dark Forest and a Yale Law School graduate, and his fiancee, Fan, a City University of New York Ph.D sociology student, met on Sen. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/bernie-sanders\/\">Bernie Sanders\u2019s<\/a> (I-VT) 2020 presidential campaign. They previously recruited Nebraska independent Senate candidate Dan Osborn, a Navy veteran and mechanic, and Iowa Democratic Senate candidate Nathan Sage, also a Marine veteran and mechanic, according to <em><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/magazine\/2025\/12\/05\/graham-platner-maine-senate-collins-00677731?is_magic_link=true&#038;experience_id=EXYF89KVT5UQ&#038;template_id=OTJIR2CRKUD6&#038;template_variant_id=OTV632IE7RALS\">Politico<\/a><\/em>. Both Osborn and Sage bear striking resemblances to Platner\u2019s background.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/06\/05\/us-news\/meet-the-champagne-socialist-duo-who-groomed-rich-kid-graham-platner-into-working-class-candidate\/?utm_source=twitter&#038;utm_campaign=nypost&#038;utm_medium=social\"><em>New York Post<\/em><\/a>  reported the couple also recruited Rep. Summer Lee (D-PA) for the Pennsylvania State House, with Moraff, Lee\u2019s first <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/joe-biden-knows-he-messed-up-on-fracking-at-debate-and-is-now-doing-damage-control-the-daily-wire\/\" title=\"Joe Biden Knows He Messed Up On Fracking At Debate And Is Now Doing Damage Control | The Daily Wire\">campaign manager<\/a> in 2018, getting his political start in Pittsburgh as a prominent member of the Democratic Socialists of America.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe can adopt a strategy that takes advantage of the low barrier to entry of the Democratic primary, and use those victories to build our own forces \u2014 forces that, once strong enough, could plausibly break from the party,\u201d <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dsausa.org\/blog\/want_to_elect_socialists_run_them_in_democratic_primaries\/\">he wrote<\/a> in 2017 in <em>In These Times<\/em> of his strategy. \u201cLet\u2019s choose that strategy, and start electing socialists.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For the Maine race, Moraff and Fan thought they had originally found a winner in former union president Chris Williams before they found \u201ca skeleton in the closet that wasn\u2019t true that we would\u2019ve had to explain,\u201d Williams told <em>Politico<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt was a go,\u201d he told the outlet. \u201cThey decided to go in a different direction \u2014 some two and a half hours northeast.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-morris-katz\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Morris Katz<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After meeting Platner, Moraff called Morris Katz, 27, a Democratic strategist with Fight Agency who also worked on Osborn\u2019s campaign, in addition to that of Sen. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/john-fetterman\/\">John Fetterman\u2019s<\/a> (D-PA), though his claim to fame is his high-profile role on Mamdani\u2019s counterpart.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWithin, like, five minutes,\u201d Katz told <em>Politico<\/em> of Platner, \u201cI was thinking, \u2018Holy s***, this guy can help save the Democratic Party.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Katz is a media and ad expert who has been credited, along with campaign manager Elle Bisgaard-Church, for drafting the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/nymag.com\/intelligencer\/article\/zohran-mamdani-morris-katz-campaign.html\">three-part plan<\/a> that got Mamdani elected in November.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThere is a broader lesson for the party in that one,\u201d Katz told <em><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/nymag.com\/intelligencer\/article\/zohran-mamdani-morris-katz-campaign.html\">New York Magazine<\/a><\/em>. \u201cA lot of times, the consultant approach is you have your playbook and you\u2019re jamming these candidates into your playbook. With Zohran, it\u2019s the other way around. If you believe your candidate can pull something like that off, you just have to let him cook. That\u2019s our campaign motto: \u2018Let Zohran cook.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But that strategy has not appeared to have paid off with Platner, whose words and actions seem to be catching up with him.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Katz has been criticized during the Platner campaign for threatening former staffer Genevieve McDonald last week through a third party if she were to cooperate with outlets reporting on the candidate\u2019s explicit text messages to women who are not his wife.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cJust want to be clear on where we are right now,\u201d Katz wrote in the message, according to the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bangordailynews.com\/2026\/05\/31\/politics\/top-graham-platner-adviser-threatened-former-aide-over-sexting-stories\/\"><em>Bangor Daily News<\/em><\/a>. \u201cIf the story goes in its current iteration we\u2019ll communicate directly on the record, and by name, that Genevieve violated the personal trust of Amy and Graham and shared explicit falsehoods to sabotage the campaign.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Publicly, Katz, who once hoped to <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/06\/04\/us-news\/mamdani-guru-wanted-to-use-images-of-his-penis-in-creepy-puberty-guide-for-10-year-olds\/\">include his penis in his 2020 book for boys about puberty<\/a>, excoriated the reporting on the sexting drama, posting on social media that, \u201cIt\u2019s no one\u2019s f\u2014ing business what happened in Graham &#038; Amy\u2019s marriage before he was ever a candidate for office. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4592163\/bill-pulte-attack-dog-charm-offensive-trump\/\"><strong>HOW BILL PULTE TURNED BEING AN ATTACK DOG INTO A CHARM OFFENSIVE WITH TRUMP<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThere should be no place in our politics for incompetent, opportunistic operatives who violate privacy, betray trust, and prioritize vengeance over decency,\u201d <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/katz_morris\/status\/2060806954818118044\">he wrote<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Amid last-minute attempts to replace him as the presumptive nominee, Plater has a 7 percentage point advantage over incumbent Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), according to an average of polls from March to late May compiled by <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.realclearpolling.com\/polls\/senate\/general\/2026\/maine\/collins-vs-platner\"><em>RealClearPolitics<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Graham Platner\u2019s Maine Senate bid features a striking campaign team<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2652,"featured_media":2611574,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/AP26145002882687_60b8d2.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[16261,6984,50402,5440,4000],"class_list":["post-2611573","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-biography","tag-industry","tag-leadership-2","tag-success","tag-team"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/AP26145002882687_60b8d2.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2611573","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2652"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2611573"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2611573\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2611577,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2611573\/revisions\/2611577"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2611574"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2611573"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2611573"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2611573"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}