After Platner's exit, other working-class Democrats offer hope

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After Platner’s exit, other working-class Democrats offer hope
Working-class candidates like Minnesota's Kaela Berg and Montana's Sam Forstag are focusing on blue-collar issues

By Jason Kyle Howard
Senior Ideas Editor
Published July 9, 2026 12:25PM (EDT)


(Salon) Graham Platner has mercifully concluded his time was up on Wednesday evening. In an 11-minute video, Maine’s Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate dropped out of the race even as he continued to forcefully deny a serious and credible allegation of rape from a former girlfriend reported Monday by POLITICO. He also displayed an unsurprising lack of awareness and accountability by casting blame on the “political establishment” for his campaign’s implosion. “They are going to take everything away from us,” he said with apparent self-pity, referring to “those in power” who put “structural pressure” on him to withdraw.

What Platner failed to acknowledge was the effect the allegation had on Democrats. As the account shook the party on Monday afternoon, it also served to generate something of a political miracle: In just a few hours, Democrats across the political spectrum, from centrist New Jersey Sen. Andy Kim to New York Rep. (and Squad member) Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, united in calling on Platner to drop out.

As Democrats in Maine and Washington, D.C., regroup and prepare for what will likely be a frenzied and chaotic nominating convention, they should also take hope. Platner’s working-class message that electrified Maine voters and garnered him national attention is not exclusive to him — or to Maine. Other Democratic candidates across the country are using their lived experiences to advocate for structural economic and political change.

In Minnesota’s second district, a longtime flight attendant and state representative is running in the Aug. 11 Democratic congressional primary to replace Rep. Angie Craig, who is seeking the Senate seat being vacated by Tina Smith. Kaela Berg earns around $45 an hour at Endeavor, a Delta subsidiary, where an April profile in the New York Times captured her on the job “carrying a trash bag [and] collecting dirty plastic cups and wrinkled bags of SunChips.” ................(more)

https://www.salon.com/2026/07/09/forget-platner-these-dems-are-still-fighting-for-workers/