Podbit · The Bulwark Podcast
If Platner wins a D+14 state by 3 while Talarico loses a R+8 state by 2, the pundit class will declare the DSA model the winner. That's the same wrong lesson Democrats took from 2022 — when the non-red-wave was really Dobbs plus bad candidates, not a Biden mandate. Getting the narrative wrong now poisons the 2028 strategy.
Where this was said
At 51:40 · chapter starts 47:00
The Platner numbers frame a broader argument about what Democrats think working-class authenticity means. He's leading in Maine — a D+14 state — but the coalition is college-educated whites and young people, not the blue-collar voters the DSA model purports to target. [1] — David French "Graham Platner leads Susan Collins 49-47 in Maine but is losing white non-college voters 59-36. David French argues the DSA's logic — that …" 46:50 French is pointed: Platner has a Nazi tattoo, a history of sexting women who aren't his wife, was recently on a gross sex site while married, and allegedly manhandled a former girlfriend. The DSA consultant logic that this is 'authentic working-class' is, to French, deeply condescending — it implies working-class people are fine with scumbaggery. When French grew up, working-class values meant a man's word was his bond. Miller steelmans the case: the appeal was meant to be about centering working-class concerns, not the personal scandals. Then he pivots to the Texas comparison — James Talarico, a religious, broadly appealing candidate, is also losing white non-college voters badly (68-27) in a state where Paxton is the opponent. Neither model is working with this demographic, which suggests the problem runs deeper than candidate type.
A Siena/NYT poll shows Graham Platner losing white non-college voters 59-36 in Maine, despite leading Susan Collins 49-47 overall.
James Talarico is losing white non-college voters 68-27 in Texas, where he is nonetheless tied 47-47 with Ken Paxton.
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