Hours after Maine Governor Juliet Mills unexpectedly withdrew from the U.S. Senate race, Republicans in the state are celebrating as their candidate, Senator Susan Collins, will face the Democrats’ new all-but-certain nominee: Graham Platner.
Former Republican state representative Laurel Libby, now executive director of Lead Maine, stated that “Senator Collins is in a stronger position today than she was in 2020.”
Libby described Platner as “an extremist Democrat with Nazi tattoos whose only agenda is to impeach President Trump, abolish ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement], and pack the Supreme Court,” adding he is “totally unfit for office.”
Platner recently drew attention for a skull-and-bones tattoo on his chest resembling a Nazi paramilitary emblem. He insists it was inked in Croatia with fellow Marines who were unaware of the symbolism at the time, and he has since covered it.
In contrast to when he faced the more centrist Mills in a primary, Libby noted that “Platner is now the face of the party, and that means his offensive statements and extreme positions will get the full scrutiny they deserve.”
According to the latest Pan Atlantic Research Survey, Platner — a first-time candidate who is an oyster farmer and Marine Corps veteran with service in Iraq and Afghanistan — leads Collins, a five-term senator and current chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, by 44% to 40% among likely voters statewide.
Platner has also secured endorsements from Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). He was a campaign volunteer for Sanders and considers the self-styled democratic socialist his political hero.
Republicans are expected to contrast Platner with Collins’ reputation as a moderate problem-solver. Penobscot County Commissioner Andre Cushing described Collins as “a tireless worker, a respected colleague and has proven her commitment to find solutions to the many challenges she is required to deal with.”
Six years ago, after voting to confirm Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, Collins faced the race of her life and was outspent 2-to-1. She still secured reelection by a 2-to-1 margin.
Whether Collins can replicate that success against an opponent with different ideologies will likely make the Maine Senate contest one of the nation’s most-watched races this year.
