NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
A Democratic Party campaign strategist who recently went viral for doing damage control for Graham Platner amid his public sexting scandals has past writings that include comments about sending and receiving “nudes” and a footnote in a puberty guide for boys that he wrote, which referenced using images of his own penis.
Morris Katz, an up-and-coming New York City Democratic Party campaign strategist credited with being a major factor in New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s electoral upset last year, wrote on the Medium blogging platform in 2019, amid a separate Democratic Party sexting scandal, that he had both “sent” and “received nudes.” Katz also authored a 2020 puberty guide for boys that included, on page 17, a footnote saying that he initially considered using “images of my penis” to illustrate puberty before the publisher said it was inappropriate.
The resurfaced writings have drawn scrutiny over the last week from Maine Republicans after Katz was accused of trying to contain the fallout from the sexting scandal involving Platner that he exchanged sexually explicit messages with multiple women early in his marriage on Kik, an anonymous messaging app that has faced scrutiny over predatory behavior and child-safety concerns.
HOW MUCH BAGGAGE WILL DEMOCRATS ACCEPT FROM MAINE’S GRAHAM PLATNER?
The irony has not gone unnoticed by Republicans in Maine, who argue Katz’s past writings add another bizarre layer to a Platner campaign already struggling to move past allegations involving numerous scandals revolving around the candidate’s judgment.
Morris Katz, 27, has been widely credited with helping New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani complete his upset victory last year against Andrew Cuomo and Curtis Sliwa. (Adam Gray/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Jason Savage, executive director of the Maine Republican Party, told Fox News Digital that the combination of Platner and Katz is “like a sort of weird horror story,” arguing that both men appear unable to recognize “the guardrails of decency.”
“Morris Katz thinking that he was going to call up and intimidate Genevieve McDonald shows how bad his judgement is — he was never going to succeed at that and the fact he didn’t have the instincts to know better is just the first red flag of many for him,” Savage told Fox News Digital. “The combination of Morris Katz and Graham Platner is this weird horror story where neither one of them really understands the guardrails on decency. Neither one of them can recognize when there is a boundary.”
A Republican strategist, who is from rural Maine but wanted to remain anonymous when speaking to Fox News Digital, said the Katz controversy shows national progressive operatives are using Maine as a testing ground for an outsider-backed campaign that could ultimately weaken the seniority and resources incumbent Republican Senator Susan Collins has delivered to struggling communities across the state.
‘MAINE’S MAMDANI’: MAINE GOP CHIEF ISSUES WARNING ABOUT NEW CHALLENGER LOOKING TO OUST SUSAN COLLINS
“This guy [Katz], who is unbelievably strange, comes in from out of state and tries to get this horribly flawed guy, like limping, pleading across the finish line. That is so arrogant,” the GOP strategist said. “The arrogance that it takes to come in and say, ‘I’m an out-of-state progressive socialist here to make some money off a flawed candidate bleeding in the polls,’ and then try to take that away from the people who really need it, you’re going to take away what Susan Collins has done and will be able to do for these people.”
Susan Collins (left) and Graham Platner (right). (Graeme Sloan/Getty Images ; Sophie Park/Getty Images)
Platner’s campaign has been dogged by controversies since he emerged as a progressive challenger in Maine’s closely watched Senate race against incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins.
Some of the most recent firestorms have centered on reports alleging Platner was abusive to an ex-girlfriend and that he exchanged sexually explicit messages with multiple women early in his marriage on the platform Kik. Platner’s wife, Amy Gertner, reportedly disclosed the messages to campaign officials during an internal vetting process, and the campaign has acknowledged the messages existed while arguing the matter was addressed privately between Platner and his wife.
SENATE CANDIDATE GRAHAM PLATNER SENT EXPLICIT TEXTS TO MULTIPLE WOMEN WHILE MARRIED, WIFE SAYS: REPORT
The controversy intensified after reports that Platner still had an active profile on Kik, an anonymous messaging app that has faced criticism from child-safety groups and law enforcement officials. The profile reportedly featured a shirtless mirror selfie of Platner with a towel around his waist, which Republican staffers later appeared to mock outside the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee by showing up in towels.
Republican staffers, including National Republican Senatorial Committee staffers, protest outside the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee headquarters in Washington, D.C., wearing towels to mock Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner’s reported Kik profile photo. (Nicholas Ballasy/Fox News Digital)
Platner had already faced scrutiny over a tattoo that critics identified as a Nazi-linked symbol, which he later covered up. Platner has said he was unaware of the symbol’s association with Nazis when he got the tattoo years ago, although McDonald has contested he has been aware of its meaning for some time.
Platner also apologized after old Reddit posts resurfaced in which he made a series of inflammatory comments about rape, race, political violence, police, rural Americans and military veterans. Platner has said his views have changed and that some of his past comments reflected a darker period in his life after military service.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
More recently, Platner denied allegations from a former girlfriend who accused him of abusive behavior, calling the claims politically motivated. His campaign has accused critics and national media outlets of focusing on private matters and personal attacks rather than the issues affecting Maine voters.
Fox News Digital reached out to Katz, the Platner campaign, Fight Agency, Mamdani’s team and McDonald for comment.
