The Skin Suits
Why Inauthenticity and Chaos Will Doom Talarico and Platner Democrats have a serious candidate selection problem heading into the 2026 midterms. In two states with some of the strongest, most distinct political cultures in America, they have advanced nominees who are profoundly mismatched with the very electorates they need to persuade. One is culturally inauthentic. The other is personally and temperamentally chaotic. These are not minor liabilities to be messaged away or spun. They are the defining characteristics of their candidacies — and they are likely fatal in Texas and Maine. James Talarico is not authentic. Graham Platner is not steady.…