Morris Katz, a Democratic Party campaign strategist credited with being a major factor in New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani's electoral upset last year, has become the subject of renewed scrutiny after past writings resurfaced amid his work advising Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner.
Katz wrote on the Medium blogging platform in 2019 that he had both "sent" and "received nudes" during a separate Democratic Party sexting scandal. He also authored a 2020 puberty guide for boys that included, on page 17, a footnote stating he initially considered using "images of my penis" to illustrate puberty before the publisher deemed it inappropriate.
The resurfaced writings have drawn criticism from Maine Republicans over the last week after Katz was accused of attempting to contain fallout from sexting scandals involving Platner, who 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.
What the Left Is Saying
Progressive Democrats have not issued public statements addressing Katz's past writings as of Monday evening. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee has not commented on the resurfaced material or on Katz's role in the Platner campaign.
Katz's association with Mamdani stems from his work as a political strategist credited with helping to orchestrate the New York City mayoral upset last year, according to sources familiar with his political operation. His recent involvement with the Maine Senate race represents an expansion of national progressive operatives' engagement in competitive Senate contests.
Supporters of Platner's campaign have argued that the controversies surrounding Katz represent Republican attempts to distract from policy debates. They note that Platner has positioned himself as a progressive alternative to incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins and has focused his campaign on issues including healthcare, climate change, and economic inequality.
What the Right Is Saying
Jason Savage, executive director of the Maine Republican Party, told Fox News Digital that the combination of Platner and Katz represents a troubling pattern for Democratic voters in the state.
"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 said. "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 from rural Maine, who spoke anonymously to Fox News Digital, argued that national progressive operatives are using Maine as a testing ground for an outsider-backed campaign.
"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 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."
What the Numbers Show
Platner faces steep odds as a progressive challenger against Collins, Maine's longest-serving senator who was first elected in 1997. Collins has won six statewide elections and represents a state that has become increasingly competitive in federal races.
Collins secured 51 percent of the vote in her 2020 reelection bid against Democrat Sara Gideon, despite national Democratic groups investing heavily in that race. The Maine Republican Party has pointed to this history as evidence that out-of-state money and operatives have historically failed to unseat the incumbent.
Platner's campaign has been beset by multiple controversies beyond the Kik messaging scandal. These include reports of alleged abuse from an ex-girlfriend, a Nazi-linked tattoo that Platner later covered up after saying he was unaware of its association with Nazis, and old Reddit posts containing inflammatory comments about rape, race, and political violence.
Katz's involvement marks one of the first instances where operatives linked to Mamdani have engaged in a competitive Senate race outside New York. Mamdani won the NYC mayoral Democratic primary in 2025 before winning the general election.
The Bottom Line
The resurfacing of Katz's past writings adds another layer of complexity to an already embattled Platner campaign that has struggled to move past multiple scandals heading into Maine's Senate primary. Republicans are actively using the Katz connection to argue that national progressive operatives are attempting to parachute into the state with a flawed candidate.
For Collins, the controversies surrounding her Democratic challenger provide ammunition for a reelection message centered on experience and stability versus what Republicans characterize as chaos and poor judgment. The race is expected to attract significant national attention and funding regardless of how the Platner campaign proceeds.
What happens next: Maine Republicans have signaled they will continue to highlight connections between Katz, Mamdani, and the Platner campaign in paid media and opposition research releases. Whether Democratic Party officials distance themselves from Katz remains to be seen.