Notes On A New Politics Of Virtue
In recent weeks I’ve been exploring a theme I’ve picked up from the many candidate interviews we’ve done in recent months - that this cycle many of our candidates are running explicitly as leaders of virtue; that virtue has emerged as a powerful antidote to the politics of corruption, venality, and betrayal we’ve seen from Trump and his allies these last few years in campaigns all across the US.
What follows is an excerpt from something I wrote on June 12th in response to a conversation we had in our community about whether to endorse Graham Platner. It is the first time I wrote about this thing I am picking up from our candidates across the country this year. I’ve been exploring it in our regular gatherings and hope to explore it more with all of you in the days ahead…..
Spending time with Talarico world this morning (the GOP attacks, and his response), and reflecting on my inspiring discussion yesterday with Josh Turek (do watch, he’s a great candidate!), has lead me to write this morning on something I’ve noticed in the many candidate interviews we’ve done - Democrats across the country are running as men and women of virtue. That in the many ways that we can differentiate ourselves from Trump, and build a new winning politics in 2026 and beyond, I think virtue has emerged as an attribute candidates are embracing across the country. It is a natural counter to the GOP’s corruption and lawlessness, of their assault on democracy, and of their embrace of oligarchy and abandonment of working people. It is something I’ve heard and felt from our candidates in these interviews again and again. It feels like something new, a new form of “strength” for our candidates in a time of extraordinary betrayal by the rich and powerful.
This is perhaps why I’ve hesitated to immediately embrace Graham Platner this week. For in my bones his candidacy, while powerful and galvanizing for so many, hasn’t felt like what I’ve been hearing and feeling from the many other candidates we’ve heard from who are running competitively in places Trump won by large margins. Remember candidates like Talarico, Peltola, Sherrod Brown, and Josh Turek are trying to win in places we haven’t been winning in regularly for decades, and are places Trump won by more than 10 points in 2024. Harris won Maine by 7 points in 2024, and what is required and necessary to win there just may be different than what we need in red places and red states. As we often say here there is no one path for success in a big tent like party like ours, and none of us should be so arrogant to believe we know what works in an election that hasn’t happened yet and where we need to be experimenting and testing new arguments and approaches that speak to this new, unique moment.
Through this process of meditating on virtue I’ve come to realize that I must be open to the idea that Graham Platner’s virtue is of a different sort. One of military service, of patriotism, of redemption, and of unyielding desire to take on the powerful to help those who’ve been left behind. That, yes, virtue can come in many forms.
So in that vein, and responding to the intense support that Graham Platner clearly has here in the Hopium community (thanks for weighing in all, the passion for Platner here has pulsated through the comments in recent days), I am adding him to our recommended candidate list today. For I don’t know what the best course is for us, and want to remain open minded about new arguments, approaches, and candidates so we can build a new and better Democratic Party. We will be reaching out to the Platner campaign today to set up one of our candidate conversations, and hope to also bring on the Democratic nominees for Maine governor and ME-02 after the ranked choice voting tally ends on June 19th too. Maine was always going to be one of our most important states this cycle, which is why we’ve been one of the largest investors in the Maine Democratic Party over the past year. The voters of Maine have spoken and it is time now to get on with Winning Maine as we are going to win so many other states across the country this year.
Here is that victory speech Graham Platner gave the other night that so many of you keep talking about. I encourage everyone here to watch:
More on this new, emerging politics of virtue in the days ahead…..Simon (6/23/26)