Paige Loud ran in the Democratic primary for Maine’s 2nd congressional district. She lost this week, so she’s now free to speak her mind, and her recent remarks were not kind about Graham Platner’s top operative. In an Instagram story, Loud called Daniel Moraff, the man who recruited Platner to run for the US Senate in Maine, a “misogynist, sexist piece of shit who’s a terrible liar.”
Graham Platner was recruited to run for Senate by a pair of socialist political operatives, Daniel Moraff and Leanne Fan, who determined that another prospective candidate had “a skeleton in the closet.”
— Washington Free Beacon (@FreeBeacon) June 8, 2026
The Wall Street Journal published a rare interview with the duo on Sunday… pic.twitter.com/tbmOE5nxJX
Paige Loud, a Democratic candidate who ran in Maine’s 2nd congressional district, calls Graham Platner’s strategist a “misogynist, sexist piece of shit who’s a terrible liar.” #MaineSenate pic.twitter.com/9EI7sdXlS1
— Politics & Poll Tracker 📡 (@PollTracker2024) June 11, 2026
Well, no wonder he and Graham work so well together https://t.co/q8eOkPFAkn
— Matt Whitlock (@MattWhitlock) June 11, 2026
This week, Genevieve McDonald, Platner’s former political director who leaked the sexting scandal to the media, wrote an op-ed in The Washington Post explaining why Platner should not be a U.S. Senator:
I quit the campaign in October, disturbed by what I learned about the candidate and concerned about his potential impact on the Democratic Party’s prospects in my home state. As Tuesday’s primary arrives, I want to make clear what transpired since August and why my concerns have only grown. Advocating for the working people of Maine has driven me since my days as a commercial lobster boat captain and continued to drive me as a state legislator. I support my local community today by serving as the school board chair. Graham Platner is not someone who would be good for Maine or for the country.
[…]
If America wants a stronger democracy, elevating leaders with integrity is essential. Leaders with sound judgment and ethics. Leaders who embrace and live the ideals the nation stands for. Maine is a state that leads; it is the state motto — Dirigo.
Platner has shown us that he is not such a leader. He exhibits a pattern of dishonest behavior that is impossible to ignore. Despite being exposed by a series of scandals beginning last October, he kept assuring voters and the Democratic Party that there were no more skeletons in his closet. Then more emerged — the latest, in recent days, have involved former girlfriends’ serious accusations of physical mistreatment.
I was one of the Platner campaign’s first gaslighting casualties. In September, he told me that he had a tattoo that could be problematic, but assured me that it was just a military thing. I believed him. Then, I began receiving calls from Washington warning me he was not who he seemed: “Have you read his oppo file?” I had not. I trusted that his out-of-state consulting team had thoroughly vetted him.
[…]
His comment reflects one of the deepest problems in American politics today. We have learned to excuse what we should condemn. I want better for my daughters, and for the people of Maine. Democrats are being sold a narrative that Platner is the only choice for the race against Republican Sen. Susan Collins. Maine voters don’t have to accept that. There are two other named candidates on Tuesday’s ballot. If Platner wins the nomination but later withdraws, Maine Democrats can hold a convention and choose a different nominee.
See, that’s where I disagree: keep Platner on the ballot.