[saturn8601]

Mamdani and AOC were appealing because they grew up in those communities and had a history of fighting for their communities. (AOC with her organizing efforts while she was a bartender and Mamdani as Assemblymember and him doing things like going on a hunger strike for the Taxi protests).

AOC took on a congress member that was placed into his seat, served 10 terms (and was known as the Dem party's money link to wall street) and didn't even live in the district.

Mamdani was a clean slate from the messes of the prior administrations.

Platner has many of these qualities and is also taking on candidates (both in his party and the opposition) that have repeatedly failed his community. An oyster farmer that grew up in his state, he talks a lot about his upbringing in the state. It seems like so many of his speeches incorporate how deeply ingrained he is within Maine. The community organizing that convinced him to run is probably a lot to do with his success. I remember when AOC was just starting. There were multiple community organizing groups that knew all the tricks of the Queens machine. They were able to help AOC avoid early traps laid by the establishment.