Graham Platner Says Controversies Have 'strengthened' His Maine Senate Campaign

1 week ago

PORTLAND, Maine — In nan past 3 weeks, Graham Platner has faced capable damaging revelations to perchance descend conscionable astir immoderate candidate. The Democratic Senate hopeful has apologized for past online posts making violative comments, covered up a tattoo connected his thorax that has a Nazi relation and lost apical staff.

Yet Platner is still standing.

The 41-year-old oyster husbandman and combat seasoned said to a packed crowd astatine nan State Theatre present connected Sunday, counted astatine 745 attendees by his campaign, astir his imagination for “building power.”

“It is amusing for maine to watch nan run described successful nan media arsenic collapsing aliases falling isolated — erstwhile internally, we frankly person not felt this beardown since nan beginning,” Platner told NBC News aft nan event. “It hasn’t sunk my campaign. In truth it seems, successful galore ways, it’s strengthened us.”

He said that's because he has addressed his past head-on and not tally from it.

“I want to talk astir my improvement arsenic a quality being," he said. "A batch of Americans besides want to person dream that you tin alteration and that you tin evolve, and that we tin person a nine that gives grace and forgiveness to people. Because if we can’t, if we deliberation that group are conscionable ossified into who they are correct now, and tin ne'er beryllium thing different, past what’s nan point?”

The Maine Senate title is shaping up to beryllium 1 of nan cardinal fights of nan 2026 midterms, pinch Platner trying to return advantage of nan restlessness successful nan Democratic Party. A progressive populist who has nan support of Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., Platner is moving connected a platform of cosmopolitan wellness care, lodging affordability and ending U.S. engagement successful overseas wars.

In a wide-ranging interview, Platner addressed nan scandals that person engulfed his campaign and said he’s “very proud of who I americium today” aft nan “arcs and valleys” of his life. He inveighed against “establishment politics,” dished connected his tense narration pinch nationalist Democratic leaders, made nan lawsuit that he’s much “electable” than Democratic Gov. Janet Mills and explained why he went from voting for Republican Sen. Susan Collins years agone to viewing her arsenic an quiet alloy today.

Platner besides said he isn’t lamenting his unit departures, which see his governmental head and finance director.

“We find ourselves now successful a importantly stronger position, team-wise,” he said. “While we mislaid immoderate people, we’ve kept almost everybody, and group that person stayed are galvanized and committed.”

Graham Platner rally successful Portland, Maine connected Sunday, Nov. 2, 2025.

A twelve rally attendees — including immoderate who supported Collins successful nan past — said they don’t see Platner’s past comments disqualifying. Some voters said it gave them region and they’re undecided; others said they judge his explanations and scheme to ballot for him successful nan primary.

“It gave maine pause, but I publication his responses and I’m still intrigued to perceive much astir him,” said Emily Bukowski-Thall, of Portland, Maine.

Her husband, Michael Bukowski, added, “If you look astatine nan controversies surrounding nan existent president, this is nothing.”

Platner responded to nan transportation from Mills and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., that nan two-term politician is simply a battle-tested and safe action to unseat Collins.

“I deliberation my ‘lack of experience’ is simply a positive,” he said. “People don’t want constitution politicians. People don’t want to spot nan aforesaid playbook tally complete and complete and complete again — a playbook which, by nan way, has grounded to unseat Susan Collins clip aft time. I firmly judge that nan existent consequence is moving an constitution campaigner that is not trying thing new.”

In response, Mills run spokesperson Scott Ogden said successful a statement, “Governor Mills is nan only Democrat successful this title who has stood up to Donald Trump, who has won 2 statewide elections, and who has delivered existent results for moving Maine families — including expanding wellness attraction to much than 100,000 Maine people, afloat backing education, guaranteeing free schoolhouse meals, delivering free organization college, protecting abortion rights, and fighting ambiance change.”

While immoderate attendees astatine Sunday’s rally said nan 77-year-old Mills is excessively aged for their taste, Platner said that isn’t his concern: “This is not astir age. It is astir really aged your ideas are.”

Platner said he has received nary outreach from Schumer aliases Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., nan chair of nan Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, aliases from DSCC staff.

“We person made it very clear that I’m very unfastened to those discussions. But no, nary 1 has reached out,” he said, while adding that he would invited nan support of nan deep-pocketed DSCC successful a wide election. “We person been very clear that we are not trying to person a friction-filled relationship, though that has been rebuffed connected aggregate occasions... The shot is successful their court.”

NBC News reached retired to nan DSCC for comment.

Platner said he has “voted for Susan Collins astatine slightest once, perchance twice” but “it was a agelong clip ago” — arsenic nan 72-year-old incumbent closes successful connected 30 years successful nan Senate.

“I besides believed backmost past that she was a moderate. As clip has gone by, I don’t judge that. I deliberation that’s a charade, and it’s worn thin,” he said. “I spot Collins as, frankly, conscionable different self-interested, constitution leader who uses this benignant of story of their moderation to enactment successful power, but doesn’t really do thing pinch their power. She’s nan chair of nan Appropriations Committee. I was told for years that erstwhile she sewage nan gavel, location was going to beryllium a boon of riches for nan authorities of Maine. That is not materializing.”

Collins spokesperson Blake Kernen noted that she has been ranked aggregate times by nan Lugar Center and Georgetown’s McCourt School of Public Policy arsenic nan astir bipartisan U.S. senator. In addition, Collins’ Senate website highlights that she has secured much than $1 cardinal successful congressionally directed spending for projects successful Maine complete nan past 3 fiscal years.

Elizabeth Lardie Thompson, an attendee of nan rally from Bath, Maine, said she felt “very betrayed” by Collins aft voting for her. She pointed to Collins’ support of blimpish Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh and “not listening” to her constituents connected wellness care.

“I deliberation she’s beholden to her statement overmuch much than she’s beholden to her state,” Thompson said. “I really don’t care; red, blue, whatever, but I do person a problem pinch really Collins has handled herself recently.”

Cathay Getchell from Scarborough, Maine, besides antecedently voted for Collins, but she said that she is concerned astir nan senator’s property and alignment pinch nan “establishment” of nan Republican Party.

“She’s been location excessively agelong and we request a change,” Getchell said extracurricular of nan rally.

Collins has picked her moments to break pinch nan GOP, for illustration successful opposing President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” to widen taxation breaks and trim Medicaid spending. But she besides gives nan GOP a valuable ballot to guarantee nan Senate remains controlled by Trump’s allies. As she seeks different six-year word successful this blue-leaning state, Collins is expected to tally different section run and tout nan money she has brought location to Maine.

“Her superior domiciled astatine this constituent is to usability arsenic screen for nan Republicans to support a mostly of nan Senate,” Platner said. “I deliberation that her votes connected Brett Kavanaugh and her votes connected RFK Jr. show that she is not willing successful really holding up nan mean broadside of nan mean bargain, and that we merit better.”

A fewer weeks agone Collins slammed Platner’s since-deleted Reddit posts from 2020 and 2021 aft they were reported by CNN, calling them “terrible” and “really offensive.”

“I was appalled erstwhile I publication those comments,” she told Maine reporters. “First of all, arsenic personification who comes from agrarian Maine, for him to person described achromatic group surviving successful agrarian Maine arsenic racist and stupid. Just nan other is nan case.”

Asked to respond, Platner said he “did not denigrate white, agrarian older voters.”

“I did get successful a conflict pinch personification and opportunity that immoderate agrarian achromatic voters were stupid and racist,” he said, adding that anybody who sounds those posts will spot that he defends them much than he criticizes them. “I myself americium a agrarian achromatic elector successful eastbound Maine. These are my neighbors and my friends. I really emergence to their defense often and proceed to do so.”

“I don’t want to beryllium flippant astir it, but I was getting successful arguments connected nan Internet … astatine a portion successful my life erstwhile I was looking for relationship and engagement, astatine a clip wherever I was emotion rather isolated and unsocial and very disillusioned astatine that point,” he added. “I do not clasp those feelings.”

In 1 of his posts, Platner wrote, “I sewage older and became a communist.” He said he has ne'er considered himself to beryllium a communist and that nan remark was simply “Internet shitposting — and besides … if you publication it’s very clear that I’m joking.”

“I judge successful Medicare for all. I judge successful expanding nan authorities of workers to organize. I judge successful taxing nan ultra-rich. I judge successful a fairer economical system,” he said. “I besides cognize that because I judge successful those things, group will mention to maine arsenic that nary matter what… That’s nan joke.”