Gov. Janet Mills withdrew from Maine’s Senate race Thursday morning, clearing a path for another Democrat to win her party’s nomination.
The rise of progressive oyster farmer Graham Platner of Sullivan was unthinkable when he announced his campaign as a political unknown in Augusta. He is now poised to face Republican Sen. Susan Collins in a pivotal November race for determining control of the chamber.
Platner has painted himself as a working class hero, running far to the left of Mills on issues from tax policy to tribal rights. He represents the younger, activist wing of the party as national Democrats weigh whether to shift to the left or the center in the wake of their defeat at the hands of President Donald Trump in 2024. Platner has never run for elected office before.
His viral campaign of economic populism took off, particularly with younger voters. His platform focuses on bringing down what he calls the “billionaire economy.” He advocates for universal healthcare, union protections and said he would push for a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United, the 2010 U.S. Supreme Court case that allowed massive spending on political campaigns.
In October, his campaign was rocked by a series of controversial Reddit posts about rape, race, and the military, as well as a tattoo of a Nazi symbol. His campaign continued on as he covered the tattoo and disavowed many of his past statements on Reddit, saying many were made in the wake of post-traumatic stress from his time serving in the military.
Platner told Politico after the Reddit posts came out, that he was “f—king around on the internet at a time when I felt lost and very disillusioned with our government who sent me overseas to watch my friends die.” He served as a Marine in Iraq and as a security contractor in Afghanistan after his time in the military.
The 41-year-old Platner has also campaigned on his youth compared to the 78-year old governor. His projection of vitality may also help him in the coming race against Collins, 73, who is seeking a historic sixth term as a Maine senator.
Mills launched a last-ditch TV ad blitz against Platner in March focused on his Reddit history after the governor said Republican ads would “make mincemeat” of him if he was the nominee against Collins. On Thursday, an influential Republican group said his campaign “will be yet another fantasy that will end when Susan Collins grinds this fraudster into dust.”
But Platner has continued on with a massive campaign. He has led every poll in a hypothetical matchup with Collins, who also trailed Democratic nominee Sara Gideon in 2020 before defeating her handily.
Daniel O’Connor is a Report for America corps member who covers rural government as part of the partnership between the Bangor Daily News and The Maine Monitor, with additional support from BDN and Monitor readers.
