# The Platner Post-Mortem: Rieckhoff Takes On the DNC Establishment

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/independent-americans-with-paul-rieckhoff-981737/the-platner-post-mortem-rieckhoff-takes-on-the-dnc-establishment
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/independent-americans-with-paul-rieckhoff-981737/the-platner-post-mortem-rieckhoff-takes-on-the-dnc-establishment.md
Podcast: [Independent Americans with Paul Rieckhoff](https://stenobird.com/podcast/independent-americans-with-paul-rieckhoff-981737)
Published: 2026-07-13T11:12:20+00:00
Episode link: https://bleav.com/shows/independent-americans-with-paul-rieckhoff/episodes/the-platner-post-mortem-rieckhoff-takes-on-the-dnc-establishment/
Audio file: https://pdrl.fm/c39fb6/pscrb.fm/rss/p/mgln.ai/e/1385/injector.simplecastaudio.com/c67dcf2c-bdc6-42d2-91a1-db918b8e8626/episodes/554ee43c-c18d-4e02-9eb0-a526d920a5f5/audio/128/default.mp3?aid=rss_feed&awCollectionId=c67dcf2c-bdc6-42d2-91a1-db918b8e8626&awEpisodeId=554ee43c-c18d-4e02-9eb0-a526d920a5f5&feed=8GTvjwcf
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Duration seconds: 833

## Resource

Paul Rieckhoff joins the roundtable to dissect the wreckage of Graham Platner's Maine Senate campaign — alongside Bangor Daily News political editor Michael Shepherd, former DNC chair Jaime Harrison, and Puck's Leigh Ann Caldwell. Paul called this one early: Platner was a ship with holes in it from the start, and progressives were so desperate for a gravelly-voiced tough guy that they were willing to ignore the Nazi tattoo, the Reddit posts, and a vetting operation that missed most of it. His bigger point — Maine is an independent-minded state with a Republican senator and an independent one, and the answer isn't another progressive heartthrob but a moderate bridge-builder who can reach the 300,000-plus independents who actually decide these races.

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## Transcript

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