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Rolling the dice on Graham Platner

Platner’s candidacy is a massive opportunity — and risk — for the left.

Graham Platner’s primary victory in Maine means Democrats officially have their candidate in a race that is pivotal for their hopes of retaking the Senate.

But Platner isn’t a typical Democratic nominee. For reasons both personal and political, his candidacy has captivated national attention and become arguably the most-covered race happening this year.

That’s because Graham Platner is many things, and many people beyond just Maine have strong opinions about those things.

First off, he is indisputably a fresh (bearded) face for the party — a 41-year old populist who’s never run for anything before, who’s worked as an oyster farmer, who did three tours in Iraq with the Marines and also served in Afghanistan, and who presents as having a tough-guy affect. There are complications to Platner’s working-class credentials (he attended prep school and has relied on wealthy parents), but still, if he does well in November, it could strengthen the case for more outsiders who don’t fit the typical candidate mold.

Simultaneously, Platner is a player in a bitter factional struggle inside the Democratic Party, where he’s aligned with a left socialist faction that is trying to supplant the existing establishment. Many of the stronger opinions about him from national figures, pro and con, come from people on either side of that struggle.

And finally, there’s his messy personal history — Nazi skull tattoo, crude Reddit posts, volatile past relationships, drinking, and sexting other women while married. A fresh round of these reports in recent weeks has heightened Democrats’ fears about his general election chances — and even opened discussion about whether he could still be replaced on the ballot if more damning scandals emerge.

Amid a year where President Donald Trump is very unpopular and a national blue wave is rising, the basic partisan stakes for Senate control could well prove more important than any of these candidate-specific factors.

Yet the intense interest in Platner means his performance could have real........

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