Graham Platner, the presumptive Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in Maine, is by no means a perfect candidate.

He made a series of concerning comments on social media years ago. He, until very recently, had a questionable tattoo. He is unpolished and casual, nothing like the polished candidates we have come to expect from the Democratic Party.

That’s exactly why people like him.

How did Graham Platner become the Democratic Senate candidate in Maine?

On April 30, Maine Gov. Janet Mills suspended her campaign for the U.S. Senate, stating she no longer had the finances to continue her candidacy. In doing so, she cleared the way for Platner, a veteran and oysterman who has never held elected office, to become the Democrats' de facto candidate.

The news immediately spurred think pieces from all across the political spectrum. Frank Bruni of The New York Times said he would vote for the populist Democrat if he lived in Maine in spite of Platner's social media posts “without any joy and without any hesitation,” because the threat of President Donald Trump is of far greater concern.

Hugh Hewitt of Fox News called Platner a “radical, verbal bomb-throwing extremist.” James Freeman of The Wall Street Journal encouraged Mainers to look at David Costello, the other Democratic candidate still in the primary race, who’s polling far behind Platner.

Yet what each of these pundits seems to be missing is that Platner, who has prioritized organizing and........

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