Graham Platner, a first-time Democratic Senate candidate in Maine, is leading Gov. Janet Mills in some polling averages and surveys ahead of the June 9 primary, while Mills’ campaign has spotlighted his past online posts and a controversial tattoo and Platner’s team says it is preparing for the general election.
Graham Platner, an oyster farmer and military veteran running for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate in Maine, has been running ahead of Gov. Janet Mills in recent polling, with The Daily Wire citing a RealClearPolling average that put him ahead by 22 points.
Platner’s campaign has faced scrutiny over a tattoo that critics said resembled a neo-Nazi “Totenkopf” symbol and over resurfaced Reddit posts from the early 2010s. The Daily Wire reported that the tattoo is now covered and that the posts included demeaning remarks about women and a statement that he “became a communist.”
Platner’s campaign manager, Ben Chin, told Axios that the campaign is “shifting gears and going full steam ahead into the general,” while still focusing on the primary, adding: “We’re feeling emboldened,” according to The Daily Wire’s account of the Axios report.
Mills, who has been endorsed by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, has launched ads attacking Platner over the online posts. One ad uses the tagline, “Graham Platner: The closer you look, the worse it gets,” and features women reading excerpts from Platner’s old posts and reacting negatively, according to an Associated Press description of the commercial.
Mills also posted on X on March 24 that the comments were “shameful,” contrasting them with her own record as attorney general and governor, The Daily Wire reported.
A Republican strategist quoted by The Daily Wire described the race as a “target-rich environment” that could benefit five-term Republican Sen. Susan Collins, and said Mills’ ads were “not really breaking through,” while adding that Republicans would continue to attack both Democrats.
The Cook Political Report has rated the Maine general election as a “toss-up,” The Daily Wire reported.
In 2020, Collins defeated Democrat Sara Gideon with about 51% of the vote to about 42%, according to RealClearPolitics’ archived election results page and The Daily Wire’s summary of that outcome. The Daily Wire also said Republicans currently hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate.
The Democratic primary is scheduled for June 9, with the winner set to face Collins in November.
