Exclusive | Mamdani adviser pushed Graham Platners candidacy in hopes of boxing out AOC from presidential run: sources

WASHINGTON — A top adviser to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani pushed hard for Maine Democrat Graham Platner in the 2026 Senate race with an eye on a Democratic presidential ticket by 2032, sources told The Post.Morris Katz hyped up Platner as a Bernie Sanders successor who could captivate the progressive base of the Democratic Party — much better than Squad darling Rep.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), who he saw as a losing nominee, two Democratic sources revealed.One reason Katz favored Platner’s chances over AOC was that he’s a man, sources said.Katz had worked for around 10 months with other left-wing operatives to pluck Platner, the untested Marine veteran-turned-oyster farmer, from obscurity and put him on a path to defeating incumbent Republican Sen.

Susan Collins in Maine in November.“‘The guy is so f–king talented,'” Katz boasted around the time of Platner’s campaign launch in August 2025, the source noted, suggesting that the sky was the limit given the slick ads he expected to produce and fundraising he would be able to bring in as a result.But the 27-year-old remained “stubborn in his support for Platner” — even as rape accusations from an ex-girlfriend forced state and national Democratic party leaders to withdraw support — because he viewed the political outsider as “his presidential ticket,” said the source familiar with campaign discussions.“You make this guy senator, and then you make this guy president because, in large part, Morris and like this whole sector of the left do not believe that AOC can win because she’s a woman,” this person said, pointing to 2032 as likely the most favorable cycle for Platner to make a White House run.Katz in a statement to The Post called the comments “blatant and complete falsehoods.” The New York Times first reported on him expressing Platner’s presidential ambitions being possible as soon as 2028.Other Democratic insiders have been privately expressing concerns that ...