At first glance, Graham Platner and Adam Hamawy share little in common. Platner, an oyster farmer and a United States Marine Corps veteran, carries his burly, tattooed frame with a gruff and outspoken attitude. It is easier to imagine him as a lumberjack swinging an axe in the woods of his native Maine than as a politician glad-handing for votes.

On the other hand, Hamawy, a New Jersey doctor, is soft-spoken, bookish, and modest. Both are Democrats who won their primaries and will be running for election this fall.

Despite their differences in appearance, they share one key qualification that reflects what American voters seem to be looking for this year more than any other: authenticity.

In an era of rambunctious politics on the right, the mainstream Democratic Party has struggled to offer its voters a compelling alternative. Joe Biden won the US presidential elections in 2020 by offering the comfort of a “safe hand on the tiller”. But his vice president, Kamala Harris, even before being promoted to the Democratic nominee for the 2024 presidential race, exuded a phoniness that seemed stage-managed by back-room........

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