Democrats have a brand problem. This Democrat just put the word “Democrat” in his logo.
Plus: Trump just created a new National Design Studio and established the role of chief design officer
Democrats have a brand problem. This Democrat just put the word “Democrat” in his campaign logo.
The campaign announcement video for Graham Platner, an oyster farmer running for U.S. Senate in Maine, has a script that sounds like it’s for a Democrat but b-roll that looks like it’s for a Republican. A progressive mind in a MAGA body, if you will.
Platner covers topics we’re likely to hear in Democratic primaries ahead of next year’s midterm election, like affordability, billionaires, and the oligarchy. But it’s also set over a guitar track that wouldn’t be out of place in a truck commercial with shots of Platner, an Iraq and Afghanistan War veteran, farming oysters in a boat and splitting wood. He uses the word “hardscrabble” in the first six seconds to describe the people of Maine.
This is an ad to communicate toughness through tropes more commonly associated with Republican campaign advertising, and just in case Platner’s party affiliation is unclear, his campaign logo as shown on screen includes a rare admission for a campaign logo: “Graham Platner, Democrat for Senate.”
An NBC News poll released earlier this year showed just 27% of registered voters had a positive view of the Democratic Party, so it’s unusual to see a Democratic candidate logo embrace their party label like this. For Platner, though, this “Democrat” logo is informational, telling viewers his party and the office he’s running for, and for a special-purpose ad.
Platner’s “Democrat” logo isn’t his campaign’s main logo as seen on its website and social media assets. Instead, that logo is set on a progressive slant with a lockup that uses a map of Maine in the counter of the letter P in Platner’s name. It looks liberal, but there’s no outward declaration of party. His campaign’s digital graphics include the slogan “Mainers First. Maine Always.” that manages to localize and liberalize a Trumpism by putting people first.
The “Democrat” logo, then, is a secondary mark the campaign is using for an important introductory moment for the political newcomer. A campaign launch video isn’t really for general election voters, and it’s not even necessarily directly for votes. It’s a video meant instead for plugged-in partisans and for building a donor base. Platner is speaking directly to Democrats here, both in his state and across the country, so there’s no shame in his party label. But it also shows that Platner isn’t running to be a typical Democrat.
“To call me a liberal, I think is fairly amusing. I mean, I’m a competitive pistol shooter. That’s what I do on the weekends,” Platner told Politico. He said if elected, he won’t support Minority Leader Chuck Schumer as the party’s Senate leader.
Platner is seeking to replace Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), a moderate and perennial swing vote, and he’s doing it by comparing her to a deeply unpopular Republican he gives a backhanded compliment to. “The difference between Susan Collins and Ted Cruz is at least Ted Cruz is honest about selling us out and not giving a damn,” Platner says in his video.
But to face off with her, he’ll first have to beat Jordan Wood, a former vice president of End Citizens United and former chief of staff for Rep. Katie Porter (D-Calif.) already running for the seat, and there’s also an effort by Schumer to recruit Maine’s Democratic Gov. Janet Mills to run. Platner’s team includes progressive political professionals who’ve worked before with New York City’s Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani and Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.), according to Politico.
Platner’s launch video positions him as a fighter at a time when California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s internet trolling is winning him fans and Democrats are looking for candidates to push back against the president. And while it’s just a secondary logo for now, Platner’s “Democrat for Senate” mark shows he’s fighting as a Democrat, not from it. He’s just doing it his way.
Previously in Yello:
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Trump just created a new National Design Studio and established the role of chief design officer
