Credibility crisis: Graham Platner received glowing media coverage before dramatic exit from Senate race

Before Graham Platner's dramatic exit from the Maine Senate race last week, the Democratic hopeful received glowing coverage from the legacy media that pushed the narrative that he was a salt-of-the-earth oyster farmer who could win back male voters and unseat longtime Republican incumbent Susan Collins.Now out of the race after multiple scandals, including a rape allegation from a former girlfriend that he's denied, the friendly coverage he received is getting a second look.The Guardian was among the first outlets to publish a profile on Platner, running a story last August headlined, "This Maine oysterman thinks Democrats are doing ‘jack’ about fascism. So he’s running for US Senate."The outlet told readers how Platner doesn't present like a "stereotypical progressive," listing his titles as "a veteran, an oysterman and a competitive shooter," adding that he spends his weekends "at the local gunnery."GRAHAM PLATNER'S MOST PROMINENT PRESS ALLIES ABANDON HIM AS RAPE ALLEGATION ROCKS MAINE SENATE RACE"Platner believes the party needs an outsider.
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Before Graham Platner's dramatic exit from the Maine Senate race last week, the Democratic hopeful received glowing coverage from the legacy media that pushed the narrative that he was a salt-of-the-earth oyster farmer who could win back male voters and unseat longtime Republican incumbent Susan Collins.Now out of the race after multiple scandals, including a rape allegation from a former girlfriend that he's denied, the friendly coverage he received is getting a second look.The Guardian was among the first outlets to publish a profile on Platner, running a story last August headlined, "This Maine oysterman thinks Democrats are doing ‘jack’ about fascism. So he’s running for US Senate."The outlet told readers how Platner doesn't present like a "stereotypical progressive," listing his titles as "a veteran, an oysterman and a competitive shooter," adding that he spends his weekends "at the local gunnery."GRAHAM PLATNER'S MOST PROMINENT PRESS ALLIES ABANDON HIM AS RAPE ALLEGATION ROCKS MAINE SENATE RACE"Platner believes the party needs an outsider. He believes that pedigreed, establishment Democratic candidates have failed repeatedly to appeal to working-class Americans, hastening the rise of MAGA," The Guardian wrote. "As he surveys the American political scene, Platner is enraged by a Democratic party he sees as more interested in raising money than helping people, a party willing to appease Maga, to meet it in the middle, instead of fighting it."The New Yorker praised Platner's campaign launch video in its own profile, saying it portrayed him as a "rugged and likable working-class Democratic candidate" but that it "could just as easily have been the opener for a reality-TV show called 'Oyster Man.'""A macho pastiche with a Jeep-commercial soundtrack, it shows him diving in his wetsuit, chopping wood, hauling oyster cages, and doing kettlebell swings.
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- What's the story?
- Before Graham Platner's dramatic exit from the Maine Senate race last week, the Democratic hopeful received glowing coverage from the legacy media that pushed the narrative that he was a salt-of-the-earth oyster farmer who could win back male voters and unseat longtime Republican incumbent Susan Collins.Now out of the race after multiple scandals, including a rape allegation from a former girlfriend that he's denied, the friendly coverage he received is getting a second look.The Guardian was among the first outlets to publish a profile on Platner, running a story last August headlined, "This Maine oysterman thinks Democrats are doing ‘jack’ about fascism. So he’s running for US Senate."The outlet told readers how Platner doesn't present like a "stereotypical progressive," listing his titles as "a veteran, an oysterman and a competitive shooter," adding that he spends his weekends "at the local gunnery."GRAHAM PLATNER'S MOST PROMINENT PRESS ALLIES ABANDON HIM AS RAPE ALLEGATION ROCKS MAINE SENATE RACE"Platner believes the party needs an outsider.
- How widely is it covered?
- 1 outlet, average source rating 6.0/10.
- When was it last updated?
- 5m ago.
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Credibility crisis: Graham Platner received glowing media coverage before dramatic exit from Senate race
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