{"id":861,"date":"2026-07-09T16:43:20","date_gmt":"2026-07-09T16:43:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/relocationacrossamerica.com\/?p=861"},"modified":"2026-07-09T16:43:20","modified_gmt":"2026-07-09T16:43:20","slug":"forget-platner-these-dems-are-still-fighting-for-workers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/relocationacrossamerica.com\/?p=861","title":{"rendered":"Forget Platner. These Dems are still fighting for workers"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Graham Platner has mercifully concluded his <\/span>time was up<\/span> on Wednesday evening. In an 11-minute video, Maine\u2019s Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate dropped out of the race even as he continued to forcefully deny a serious and credible <\/span>allegation of rape<\/span> from a former girlfriend reported Monday by POLITICO. He also displayed an unsurprising lack of awareness and accountability by casting blame on the \u201cpolitical establishment\u201d for his campaign\u2019s implosion. \u201cThey are going to take everything away from us,\u201d he said with apparent self-pity, referring to \u201cthose in power\u201d who put \u201cstructural pressure\u201d on him to withdraw.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Read more It\u2019s not you, it\u2019s the Emmys: Voters have reasons for ignoring your show<\/a><\/p>\n

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.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Platner\u2019s working-class message that electrified Maine voters and garnered him national attention is not exclusive to him \u2014\u00a0or to Maine. Other Democratic candidates across the country are using their lived experiences to advocate for structural economic and political change.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u2019s working-class message that electrified Maine voters and garnered him national attention is not exclusive to him \u2014\u00a0or to Maine. Other Democratic candidates across the country are using their lived experiences to advocate for structural economic and political change.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In Minnesota\u2019s 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 governorship. Kaela Berg earns around $45 an hour at Endeavor, a Delta subsidiary, where an April <\/span>profile<\/span> in the New York Times captured her on the job \u201ccarrying a trash bag [and] collecting dirty plastic cups and wrinkled bags of SunChips.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The 52-year-old Berg\u2019s message is rooted in her biography. \u201cIn an economy where so many working families are struggling, they don\u2019t feel like they\u2019re heard, that politicians in Washington, as they enrich themselves, don\u2019t understand what the average family is struggling through right now,\u201d she recently <\/span>told Minnesota\u2019s WCCO<\/span>. \u201cAnd to have somebody who has lived that alongside them \u2014\u00a0that\u2019s a really exciting opportunity to actually have a representative democracy.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Berg touts reforming healthcare as her <\/span>first legislative priority<\/span>, noting that she lived without medical coverage during the Covid-19 pandemic and has relied on MinnesotaCare, the state\u2019s healthcare program for low-income people. In interviews and on the stump, she conveys both polish and authenticity, and she has garnered a slew of endorsements from unions and progressive organizations like the Teamsters and Emily\u2019s List. Were she to win the primary \u2014\u00a0the most recent <\/span>poll<\/span> conducted between May 27 and June 1 shows her trailing two other candidates \u2014\u00a0Berg\u2019s personal story would serve as a marked contrast to that of state Sen. Eric Pratt, the lone GOP candidate who is a former vice president at US Bank and is running on an unabashedly pro-business platform. In a heavily divided district, Berg\u2019s working-class bonafides could easily make the difference for Democrats.<\/span><\/p>\n

Read more Trump family grift now extends to guns<\/a><\/p>\n

Former Montana smokejumper \u2014\u00a0a firefighter who parachutes into rural terrain to contain wildfires \u2014 Sam Forstag is also hoping to go to D.C. as the state\u2019s first Democratic member of Congress in 30 years. As the party\u2019s nominee for Montana\u2019s first congressional district, he relied on his blue-collar credentials from the start in <\/span>one of the best campaign ads<\/span> released this cycle. \u201cFire moves quick,\u201d the 32-year-old Forstag says in a voiceover, describing his former job, before seamlessly shifting to what\u2019s happening in Washington. \u201cRight now, the richest people in this country are trying to burn it all down so they can buy it all up\u201d \u2014 a reference to Montana workers being displaced<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

In front of a crowd, Forstag can be halting; he hasn\u2019t yet located his natural cadence, which causes him to sometimes appear a bit hesitant. But this, too, comes off as a plus. His lack of polish in speeches underscores his authenticity, and he shines in more intimate settings with voters, and in <\/span>interviews<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

At a May 28 rally in Missoula with Ocasio-Cortez, Forstag took the stage to \u201cFortunate Son\u201d by Creedence Clearwater Revival, and his words made good on the song\u2019s biting lyrics about the haves and have-nots.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI know what it\u2019s like to be the kid whose belly is full thanks to food stamps,\u201d he <\/span>said<\/span>. \u201cI know what it\u2019s like to be the kid who has a safe place to go thanks to the public library while my mom finished her extra shift as a nurse to provide for my little sister and I, to be the student at [the University of Montana] here in town working three jobs at a time, and still come up short on money for rent or books sometimes.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Forstag\u2019s story is relatable, and he hopes it will resonate with Montanans across party lines who feel that \u201cfar too few of the people in power know what it is like\u201d to struggle to make ends meet. While the nonpartisan Cook Political Report has rated his race against the Trump-endorsed local radio host Aaron Flint as likely GOP, Democrats appear to increasingly believe a Forstag win is possible in what is shaping up to be a dismal midterm election cycle for Republicans.<\/span><\/p>\n

Forstag, Berg and other candidates like them at both the national and state level represent a new wave of energy and enthusiasm among the Democratic base for candidates with lived working-class experience. Some in the party thought they had found the lodestar in the now-disgraced Platner. With his exit, they must realize there are others who are more deserving of attention and support.<\/span><\/p>\n

Read more Supreme Court helps Trump turn early losses into wins<\/a><\/p>\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Working-class candidates like Minnesota’s Kaela Berg and Montana’s Sam Forstag are focusing on blue-collar issues<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":860,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[243,4,212,563,1193,564,186,267,1194,1195,882],"class_list":["post-861","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interesting","tag-2026-midterms","tag-commentary","tag-democrats","tag-graham-platner","tag-kaela-berg","tag-maine","tag-minnesota","tag-montana","tag-sam-forstag","tag-working-class-voters","tag-working-class"],"yoast_head":"\nForget Platner. 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