How Platner rose to Democratic ‘standard-bearer’

Graham Platner’s exit from the Maine Senate race raises questions about Democrats’ prospects in the November midterms. But who is Platner, and why did Democrats choose him? "Graham Platner was found by these political operatives, young political operatives, who did very little vetting, and he was connected with an agency that focuses on these progressive candidates," Puck’s Leigh Ann Caldwell told Washington Week moderator Jeffrey Goldberg. "But how he gained so much support is he is charismatic, he was a good messenger and he had the message that the progressive left, the Bernie Sanders wing of the party, is really looking for," Caldwell added. Washington Week with The Atlantic is a partnership between @PBSNewsHour, @WETAPBS and @TheAtlantic airing every Friday on PBS stations nationwide. Tap the link in Washington Week's bio to watch this week’s episode. Watch PBS News for daily, breaking and live news, plus special coverage. We are home to PBS News Hour, ranked the most credible and objective TV news show. Sign up for Here's The Deal with Lisa Desjardins: https://to.pbs.org/41q6E8i Subscribe for exclusive content in our newsletters: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/subscribe PBS News podcasts: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/podcasts Stream your PBS favorites with the PBS app: https://to.pbs.org/2Jb8twG Find more from PBS News at https://www.pbs.org/newshour Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/2HfsCD6 Follow us: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@pbsnews X: http://www.twitter.com/newshour Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/newshour Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/newshour/