Graham Platner entered the Democratic primary to unseat incumbent Senator Susan Collins, positioning himself as a populist critic of oligarchy and rising living costs. Platner calls Maine "essentially unlivable" for working-class residents and expresses deep anger at political failures. He has avoided conventional ideological labels while sharply criticizing police disappearances, the violence in Palestine, and billionaire influence over government, and he faults Democratic leadership for inadequate responses. Platner is rooted in Sullivan, Maine, where he works as an oyster farmer and harbormaster, and his military service includes four tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. Collins faces declining popularity and potential vulnerability.
Platner was national news by the time Collins arrived in Searsport. On August 19, he announced that would run as a Democrat to unseat Collins, who has been in the Senate since 1996 and chairs the powerful Appropriations Committee. The state of Maine has become "essentially unlivable" for working-class people on her watch, he said in a campaign video, and he was "deeply angry."
Though Platner is new to national politics, he's familiar to the residents of Sullivan, Maine, where he was raised and lives currently. He is an oyster farmer and the town harbormaster, a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps and the U.S. Army who served four tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, and he is still a competitive shooter. He entered the race against Collins at a vulnerable moment for her with her popularity declining - though she has defied expectations and polls in the past.
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