A Democratic political strategist credited with helping New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani secure a major electoral victory is facing increased scrutiny in Maine after old writings resurfaced while he assists Senate candidate Graham Platner as the campaign confronts a series of controversies ahead of a key Democratic primary, as reported by Fox News.

Morris Katz, a New York-based Democratic strategist, has drawn attention from Maine Republicans over comments he made in past writings and his role advising Platner as the candidate responds to reports about his personal conduct and campaign-related controversies.

Katz, who has been widely credited with helping Mamdani's successful mayoral campaign, wrote in a 2019 post on the Medium blogging platform that he had both "sent" and "received nudes."

He also authored a puberty guide for boys in 2020 that included a footnote stating he had initially considered using "images of my penis" to illustrate portions of the publication before being told by a publisher that such content would be inappropriate.

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The resurfaced writings have become a new point of criticism from Republicans as Platner's campaign continues to address questions surrounding reports that he exchanged sexually explicit messages with multiple women during the early years of his marriage through the messaging platform Kik.

Republicans in Maine have argued that Katz's background raises additional questions about judgment as he works to help Platner navigate the fallout from the controversy.

Jason Savage, executive director of the Maine Republican Party, criticized Katz's actions and alleged attempts to pressure individuals connected to the controversy.

"Morris Katz thinking that he was going to call up and intimidate Genevieve McDonald shows how bad his judgment 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 told Fox News Digital.

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Savage continued by criticizing both Katz and Platner.

"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," he said.

An anonymous Republican strategist from rural Maine also criticized Katz's involvement in the race and argued that national political operatives were attempting to influence a contest with significant implications for the state.

"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 told Fox News Digital.

"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."

Platner is challenging incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins in one of the most closely watched Senate races in the country.

His campaign has faced a series of controversies in recent months. Reports have alleged that Platner exchanged sexually explicit messages with multiple women while married.

According to reports, Platner's wife, Amy Gertner, disclosed the messages during an internal campaign vetting process. The campaign has acknowledged the messages existed while maintaining that the matter was handled privately between the couple.

Additional scrutiny followed reports that Platner maintained an active Kik profile. The profile reportedly featured a shirtless mirror selfie with a towel around his waist.

The image later became the subject of a protest outside Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee headquarters in Washington, D.C., where Republican staffers appeared wearing towels in an effort to mock the reported profile photo.

Platner has also faced criticism over a tattoo that critics identified as having links to Nazi symbolism. He has stated that he was unaware of the symbol's meaning when he received the tattoo years earlier and later covered it up.

Genevieve McDonald has disputed his account and argued he was aware of the symbol's meaning.

The candidate previously apologized after old Reddit posts resurfaced containing inflammatory comments regarding race, political violence, police officers, rural Americans, military veterans, and other subjects.

Platner has said his views changed over time and that some of the posts reflected a difficult period following his military service.

Most recently, Platner denied allegations from a former girlfriend who accused him of abusive behavior. He described those allegations as politically motivated.

His campaign has argued that critics and media coverage have focused heavily on personal controversies rather than policy issues affecting Maine voters.

Fox News Digital reported that requests for comment were sent to Katz, the Platner campaign, Fight Agency, Mamdani's team, and McDonald.

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