Maine’s Spartacus

By Thomas Lamia

Graham Platner at a Portland Hearts of Pine match on September 27, 2025. By MAINEiac4434 – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=193728223

A battle for Maine’s Senate seat and with it a possible U.S. Senate majority for the Democrats in 2027 has grown from a seed to a forest since a September 2025 New Yorker article launched Graham Platner’s career in politics. Soon, Platner was being pushed into a Senate bid against term limited Maine Gov. Janet Mills for the Democrats’ nomination to run against Sen. Susan Collins, a Republican seeking a sixth term. At the crest of the wave propelling Platner were Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, each with New England state constituencies and working class supported presidential campaigns to their credit.

The impetus behind the Platner surge was a combination of his rugged individualism and willingness to do battle with Republicans and plutocrats and his single-minded devotion to the causes of constituents struggling to own a home, obtain health care and raise families in small town and rural Maine. His personal story ─ combat in Iraq and Afghanistan followed by PTSD disability and VA recovery ─ was tailor-made for Maine voters looking for a fighter to lead them from bare existence to a decent life.

Platner is strident and articulate in his support for the working class. As a working oyster farmer, he is a credible messenger for bootstrap entrepreneurship. In a state that is known for its aversion to strangers, Platner does not have to explain his Maine authenticity. By birth, parentage, occupation and social network he is unequivocally not “from away.” Photos of Platner at work hauling oyster trays in Blue Hill Bay need no photoshopping. Democrats desperate for someone with the energy and oratorical skills to lead the battle against an entrenched Republican senator quickly saw that their opportunity was at hand.

But a backlash followed as more became known about this working class gladiator. He had a tattoo on his chest that looked suspiciously like a Nazi death’s head. He explained its origins (a tattoo parlor visit with fellow Marines on a drunken lark) and his ignorance of its Nazi associations. Not all were convinced. Then came a barrage of Reddit posts that needed explanation. Finally ─ it is hoped ─ sexting messages were revealed emanating from relationships both before and after his marriage to his wife, Amy. On the surface these seemed devastating, but the responses from Platner and, separately, Amy have been refreshingly honest and clarifying of today’s social and romantic environments. The Planters’ marriage survives and is celebrated by family and friends.

Through this early period Democrats in Washington wavered in their support. Many said they thought Platner was just another neophyte in way over his head and began to jump ship. But Mainers stuck with him, their numbers increased. The polls showed his strength against both Mills and Collins from the start and did not drop with the smear campaign. Platner is an indefatigable campaign warrior, hosting town halls across the state in both the coastal areas where Democrats do well and in the central and northern areas where Trump and his backers are in the majority. He speaks before large crowds wherever and whenever a suitable venue is available. Maine has a large working class population most of whom are self-employed. They have stayed with him through the long days of bad press and Democratic party jitters. They will stay with him through the TV ad blitz that Sen. Collins has been running since the June 9 primaries. Collins won unopposed on the Republican side; Platner took the Democratic side with 72% of the vote. Mills, who withdrew before the vote but stayed on the ballot, took 19.5%. Before the vote, Fox News and other Republican pundits were musing over how Platner could be removed from the ballot to save Democrats from an embarrassing defeat. Apparently, Mainers weren’t listening.

Three reputable post-primary polls show Platner with a narrow lead over Collins with Platner doing better with women, college educated voters, and Congressional District 1 voters. Collins leads among men, non-college voters and District 2 voters. It is and will continue to be a close contest. Professional strategists seem to think Collins’ funding and experience will, once again, carry her to victory in November. Platner is a different challenge for her — an exemplar for Maine’s working class of physical and intellectual leadership. His backers know him to be the real deal. Collins is a formidable candidate who will bring every resource the Republican Party can allocate to Maine. Painting Platner as an irresponsible, immoral, unready ruffian in non-stop media ads will be her principal weapon. Platner will have ads, too, but not as many. What I hope he will have is an open debate invitation to Collins. I suspect he has already held more town halls in his campaign than she has held in her 30 years in office. Meeting voters, answering their questions, mastering the issues, these are his strengths. He should do press interviews, radio and TV appearances whenever they are offered. He should appear with Collins in public settings if she is willing. It will be a hard fight. Collins is the champ, Platner the challenger. He must take the fight to her. I believe he will.