Jim Messina said “a star is born” after Graham Platner won Maine’s Democratic Senate primary in a landslide, framing the result as a rapid rise from relative obscurity to beating Gov. Janet Mills. The win came despite scandals that included past social media p
Jim Messina didn’t wait long after the race was called.
On Tuesday. the former campaign manager for Barack Obama declared “a star is born” after Graham Platner won the Democratic primary for Maine’s Senate race in a landslide. The reaction came as Platner surged to more than 70% of the vote with an estimated 91% of votes counted. leaving his primary opposition. Maine Gov. Janet Mills, with a little over 19%.
The win landed in a political storm. Platner’s path to the nomination carried a laundry list of controversies, including past social media posts, a tattoo with supposed ties to the Nazi Party, and allegations of abusive behavior.
Not long after the result was finalized, Platner took the stage in Blue Hill, Maine, for a victory speech. Speaking to MS NOW’s Jen Psaki shortly afterward, Messina described what he had just seen as a kind of breakthrough performance.
“I don’t know if he wrote that, or who wrote that, but that was really good. And the fact that he. one year ago. wasn’t a politician. and then he delivers that in front of the. basically the entire country. I thought that was. you know– you’re seeing a star is born. and you’re seeing how a guy who no one had heard of a year ago — even in Maine. no one had heard of him — just beat the incumbent governor in a primary. And so, I thought it was amazing.”.
Messina also pointed to a specific moment from Platner’s speech: Platner referenced the recent scandals during his remarks. Messina called that portion “perfect political theater,” framing the way Platner addressed the baggage as part of what made his primary win stand out.
The numbers and the reception landed together—an outsider’s surge in a high-visibility contest, and the contrast between the controversies raised against him and the language used by a top Obama-era strategist as he celebrated the outcome.
Graham Platner Jim Messina Maine Senate primary Janet Mills Democratic primary Blue Hill Maine MS NOW Jen Psaki scandal allegations social media posts Nazi Party tattoo allegations
A star is born??? lol politics is just random hype now.
Wait so he beat Janet Mills and everyone’s just calling it “theater” even though there were those Nazi tattoo accusations? I’m confused how that’s celebrated.
I saw a clip where he said something about the scandals like it was all a set-up. But also, wasn’t this about social media stuff and then the whole tattoo thing… like which scandal was he actually talking about? Messina was acting like he’s some messiah in front of “the entire country,” but it’s Maine? Seems blown up.
Not gonna lie I don’t even know who Graham Platner is but beating Mills by 70% sounds like the Dems wanted chaos. And if Messina said the speech was “perfect political theater,” that kinda means they’re used to ignoring the worst parts. Also the Nazi tattoo thing… I thought that would end his whole campaign, so yeah I don’t buy it.