Sex fantasies of 'rugged man' Democrat Graham Platner's top adviser exposed after explicit texts leak: 'His hands are shockingly gentle'

By VICTORIA CHURCHILL, US POLITICAL REPORTER Published: 20:58, 4 June 2026 | Updated: 20:59, 4 June 2026 A top adviser for scandal-plagued Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner has an online history as strange as that of the Congress hopeful. Platner, 40, scurried out of Washington this week to avoid questions about his sexting scandal - including shirtless pictures and explicit texts to up to 12 women discovered by his wife Amy Gertner. Democrats are hoping that Platner - an oyster farmer and Marine veteran dubbed one of the 'rugged guys' in the 2026 midterms - can win back working-class voters. He's looking to upset Republican Senator Susan Collins, but is facing major backlash from members of his own party who fear more scandals could emerge after the salacious texts were revealed. One of his advisors, Daniel Moraff - a political consultant who characterized himself to TIME magazine last month as the man who recruited Platner to run for the seat - also has a notable digital footprint. While an engineering student at Brown University in 2012, Moraff published an article in the 'humor' section of Vulture magazine titled, My Heroes, Daydreamt. In it, Moraff, a long-time Democratic socialist operative, writes that he had daydreams about political figures whom he regards as his heroes, descriptions that also include odd sexual remarks. In a section about Eleanor Roosevelt, Moraff wrote that 'she does not know my true passion' - her 'aging body' - before fantasizing about a kiss from her that left him hot under the collar. Graham Platner, Democratic candidate for US Senate in Maine, speaks during a 'Fighting Oligarchy' campaign rally with US Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) in Portland, Maine, on May 25, 2026 Moraff with his now-fiancée Leanne Fan, in a photo posted to his Facebook account One of the lengthiest sections of Moraff's humor essay is about civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr.  'Martin's hands are shockingly gentle, caressing me as I fumble with his tie,' Moraff wrote in his 'daydream' of King, before sharing a hope that 'this time nothing [would] stop [him] from finally becoming a man.' At the end, Moraff writes that King promised that they would 'have sex with each other,' before King's speech from the balcony of a Memphis hotel where he was shot dead in 1968. The 2012 piece identifies Moraff, the author, as a Brown University Student and links to his still-active account on X, where he has recently been reposting defenses of Platner.  Per TIME, Moraff drove to see Platner with his then-girlfriend, now-fiancée Leanne Fan, to pitch him on entering the Senate race.  Despite an initial refusal, Moraff presented Platner with a plan of how to fundraise, as well as a concept of his first advertisement, which lured him into the race. Moraff's LLC, Dark Forest, first appeared on Platner's Federal Election Commission disclosures in November of last year, when he was paid nearly $40,000. Neither Moraff nor the Platner campaign responded to the Daily Mail's inquiry about the article, nor about the current state of his work on the race.  As a revolving door of staffers fled the Platner camp, Dark Forest still appeared on the campaign's last Federal Election Commission disclosure as recently as mid-March. Since November of 2025, Moraff's Dark Forest has been paid nearly $75,000 for 'General Campaign Consulting.' Moraff fantasized about a kiss from Eleanor Roosevelt and described a 'passion' for her 'aging body' Former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt (left) and wife of Chiang Kai Shek, Mei-ling Chiang, at the White House One of the last pictures to be taken of Dr Martin Luther King, Jr, speaking to a mass rally April 3, 1968 in Memphis Moraff in a photo posted to his Facebook account Moraff also previously worked for Nebraska's independent US Senate candidate, Dan Osborn, in 2024.  Osborn is running in the general election against incumbent Nebraska Senator and former Governor Pete Ricketts, after the Democratic nominee dropped out of the race to clear the field for Osborn. FEC records show that Moraff received a payment from Osborn for Senate 2024 as recently as December 9, 2025. Platner has faced numerous scandals since last fall, including the revelation of a Nazi tattoo that he has since covered up, as well as the emergence of controversial Reddit posts, which he himself described as including 'homophobic slurs, anti-LGBTQ+ jokes and sexually explicit stories denigrating gay men' to the Advocate last year. But the most recent controversy stems from revelations that Platner texted other women sexually while married, and the discovery of a shirtless profile on Kik, an app described as a sexual predator's playground. Platner has not denied the texts or the profile, describing the stories as 'gossip' and he and his wife have reaffirmed 'a very happy marriage.' His top advisors, too, have come under immense scrutiny this week. Morris Katz, another Platner-tied operative, is the man behind New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani's viral campaign videos last year, and is another advisor who has come under fire for both his conduct and past statements. Katz allegedly threatened Platner's former political director, Genevieve McDonald, not to disclose the existence of the sexually explicit texts the candidate sent to at least a dozen women while he and his wife, Gertner, were trying to conceive a child through in vitro fertilization (IVF). In an X post made Saturday, Katz reacted to McDonald's disclosure, saying, 'It's no one's f***ing business what happened in Graham & Amy's marriage before he was ever a candidate for office.'  'There should be no place in our politics for incompetent, opportunistic operatives who violate privacy, betray trust, and prioritize vengeance over decency,' he added. Katz also posted on Medium in 2019 about sending nudes himself, and even admitted in a children's book published in November of 2020 about puberty to trying to put images of his own genitalia in its pages. Federal Election Commission data shows Dark Forest LLC has been paid by Platner's campaign, as well as that of Nebraska's independent US Senate candidate, Dan Osborn Platner's Kik profile picture, viewed by the Daily Mail, showed the Democratic candidate posing shirtless and in only a towel Platner has faced scandals since last fall, including the revelation of a Nazi tattoo that he has since covered up  Thursday afternoon, Platner boasted that all the arrows shot his way had done little to dull his momentum.  In a new poll by Public Policy Polling shared by the campaign, Platner leads incumbent Republican Susan Collins, 49 percent to 45 percent.  Just two weeks ago, a poll from Platner's team had him up 48 to 41 percent over incumbent Collins; an April poll showed him leading 51 to 45. But some Democrats have soured on him. Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman told CNN: 'What kind of a creep has been on a platform like Kik, sending a dozen explicit messages - and who knows what else.'  The dig is notable given that Fetterman's own aide, Katz, has worked for both him and Platner.  Vermont's Bernie Sanders and Massachusetts' Elizabeth Warren are still backing Platner, and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer told reporters on Tuesday that he met with Platner, adding, 'we're going to beat Susan Collins and take back the Senate.' Collins, the only Republican in the race, holds an independent streak that makes her both loved and feared.  She also represents an endangered species: a Republican who represents a state traditionally carried by the Democratic presidential nominee. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. 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