UMVA has learned that a Democratic Party campaign strategist, who recently made headlines for handling damage control for a politician embroiled in a sexting scandal, has a history of writing about explicit topics, including sending and receiving "nudes" and using images of his own body to illustrate puberty.
The strategist, Morris Katz, wrote on a blogging platform in 2019 that he had both sent and received explicit images, and also authored a puberty guide for boys that included a footnote about considering using images of his own penis to illustrate the topic, before being told it was inappropriate by the publisher.
These resurfaced writings have sparked scrutiny and raised eyebrows, particularly among Republicans, who argue that Katz's past comments add another layer of controversy to a campaign already struggling to move past allegations of scandals and poor judgment.
The combination of Katz and the politician he is working for has been described as a "weird horror story" by Jason Savage, executive director of the Maine Republican Party, who argues that both men seem unable to recognize the boundaries of decency and have consistently shown poor judgment.
A Republican strategist, who wished to remain anonymous, believes that the controversy surrounding Katz shows that national progressive operatives are using Maine as a testing ground for an outsider-backed campaign, which could ultimately harm the state's communities and undermine the work of incumbent Republican Senator Susan Collins.
The politician at the center of the scandal, Graham Platner, has been dogged by controversies, including allegations of exchanging sexually explicit messages with multiple women and being abusive to an ex-girlfriend, which has led to intense scrutiny and criticism from Republicans and other opponents.
Platner's campaign has tried to address these issues, but the controversies have continued to mount, including the discovery of an active profile on an anonymous messaging app, which has faced criticism from child-safety groups and law enforcement officials, and old Reddit posts that resurfaced, showing Platner making inflammatory comments about sensitive topics.
According to information obtained by UMVA, Platner's campaign has been accused of trying to downplay these issues and focus on the politician's policy positions, but the scandals have continued to dominate the headlines and raise questions about Platner's fitness for office.
The situation has become increasingly heated, with Republicans and other opponents calling for greater accountability and transparency, and arguing that the combination of Platner and Katz is a toxic mix that could have serious consequences for the people of Maine.
