WASHINGTON — The infant-faced socialist strategist behind Graham Platner’s disastrous Maine Senate bid, Morris Katz, was mysteriously lacking from the scandal-scarred marketing campaign’s marketing consultant payroll — regardless of his agency boasting about creating dozens of adverts for the disgraced Democrat.
The oysterman’s principal marketing campaign committee, Graham for Senate, forked over $10,177,696 to only a trio of entities between August 2025 and Might 2026 for consulting, media buys, adverts and information acquisition, in response to Federal Election Fee (FEC) data.
The companies — LC Media, Helix Campaigns and Employees Productions — accounted for greater than 70% of the marketing campaign’s working expenditures throughout that point interval, however no filings exist displaying funds to Katz’s Democratic political consulting agency, Combat Company.
Katz and his Combat Company co-founder, Rebecca Katz (no relation), additionally weren’t listed in particular person FEC filings on the Platner marketing campaign’s payroll.
That is regardless of Katz — who propelled Mayor Zohran Mamdani to victory — recruiting Platner, and Combat Company claiming it had made “over 40 adverts” for the failed marketing campaign.
“Combat Company is a media agency. We make adverts. For the Platner marketing campaign, we made one launch video and over 40 adverts,” a rep informed Axios this week.
The adverts have been massively profitable in enhancing Platner’s profile within the Pine Tree State, with the 41-year-old occurring to win the Democratic main by a whopping 72 share factors final month.
People for Public Belief govt director Caitlin Sutherland informed The Submit that it’s not unusual for campaigns to try to obfuscate funds to consultants in FEC filings by routing them by payroll corporations or the companies that make use of them, quite than utilizing their names.
It’s unknown whether or not any of the opposite companies that have been immediately paid by the Platner marketing campaign contributed to salaries for Combat Company workers earlier than their candidate selected to bow out.
Employees Productions was paid $334,000 for video manufacturing by the marketing campaign; Helix Campaigns took greater than $4 million for digital consulting and information acquisition; and LC Media obtained practically $5.8 million for media buys.
Platner dropped out of the closely-watched Senate race on Wednesday following a rape accusation from an ex-girlfriend, allegations of bodily abuse in opposition to a lady he dated beforehand and the unearthing of unseemly feedback about veterans and intercourse assault victims he made on Reddit boards.
After dropping the assist of nationwide and state Democrats within the wake of the rape report earlier this week, Platner hunkered down with Katz and his marketing campaign workforce in Maine to debate whether or not to desert his run.
Ryan Aquilina, who was additionally photographed there on Wednesday, is listed because the proprietor of Helix Campaigns, in response to District of Columbia enterprise data. He labored for the Platner marketing campaign as a marketing consultant.
Marketing campaign supervisor Ben Chin, his deputy Eleni Neyland and subject director Spencer Toth are all listed on the Platner payroll in FEC filings.
As of Thursday, Platner was nonetheless retaining Maine Democrats in suspense, having not filed his official paperwork to withdraw from his Senate bid.
Platner supporters have been queried Wednesday about their most popular candidate to take up his mantle within the race in opposition to incumbent Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), in response to a webpage hyperlink blasted out by the marketing campaign.
Combat Company had helped socialist Mamdani triumph within the 2025 New York Metropolis mayoral race.
Their agency is thought for its unapologetic, populist messaging and has additionally minimize adverts for Rep. Greg Casar (D-Texas) and Nebraska Senate Democratic candidate Dan Osborn.
Reps for Combat Company and the Platner marketing campaign didn’t reply to requests for remark.
