Graham Platner Is Staying in the Race

"Graham Platner, a combat veteran, political activist, and small-business owner who has never served in office, seemed to check many boxes for a progressive upstart. Platner, who says he and his wife earn sixty thousand dollars a year, has spoken passionately about affordability, and has called universal health care a "moral imperative." He seemed like a rising star, but then some of his past comments online directed against police, L.G.B.T.Q. people, sexual-assault survivors, Black people, and rural whites surfaced."

""As uncomfortable as it is, and personally unenjoyable, to have to talk about stupid things I said on the internet," he told David Remnick, "it also allows me to publicly model something I think is really important. . . . You can change your language, change the way you think about stuff." In fact, he frames his candidacy in a way that might appeal to disappointed Trump voters: "You should be able to be proud of the fact that you can turn into a different kind of person. You can think about the world in a different way.""

Susan Collins has held one of Maine's Senate seats for nearly thirty years. Democrats are targeting that seat. Graham Platner is a combat veteran, political activist, and small-business owner who has never held office. Platner and his wife report combined earnings of sixty thousand dollars a year. He has emphasized affordability and called universal health care a "moral imperative." Past online comments attacking police, L.G.B.T.Q. people, sexual-assault survivors, Black people, and rural whites emerged. A published photo showed a Marine tattoo resembling a Nazi symbol; Platner says he did not realize its resemblance and apologized. He portrays personal change as central and seeks to appeal to disappointed Trump voters.

Read at The New Yorker