​“This race has never been about me or really about one person. It’s about a movement of working Mainers who are fed up with being robbed by billionaires and the politicians who own them. We are now taking back our power. That is what this campaign is.”  (Reported by Kevin Miller, Maine Public Radio, 4/30/26)

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​“We do not live in a system that is broken. We live in a system that is functioning exactly as is intended. We live in a system that has been built by the political class to enrich and support billionaires, on the backs of working people.”  (Rolling Stone, 9/2/25)

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​“I view most of my job as a US Senator as to do two things: one, to ban billionaires buying elections; two, to dismantle the ‘billionaire economy’ in favor of an economy that works for the American worker, for small businesses , for the vast majority of Americans.”  (Platner campaign website)

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To hear directly from Mr. Platner, watch this short video:

Here's What We Need To Do To Save Our Democracy

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BACKGROUND AND EXPERIENCE
Graham Platner is an eight-year veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps which included three combat tours in Iraq. After Iraq he joined the Maryland National Guard and was deployed in Afghanistan. 

Platner worked in the U.S. State Department as a security contractor before returning to his hometown of Sullivan, Maine in 2019 to work as an oyster farmer. There he became active in community affairs addressing social justice issues on the local planning board as Harbormaster. He and his wife Amy own and operate the Waukeag Neck Oyster Co in the same town. 

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ON THE ISSUES
Graham Platner is a progressive populist focused on how government and public policy affect everyday Americans. He is focused on correcting the disastrous economic consequences of actions by the current White House administration for normal Americans. Austin Ahlman of The American Prospect described Platner’s political views as “anti-establishment, anti-corporate and distinctly localist.” 

Platner’s priorities include making basic needs more affordable, establishing universal health care, and ending U.S. involvement in overseas wars. He also supports higher taxes on extreme wealth and expanded support for working Americans. 

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POLITICS IN MAINE
First elected to the Senate in 1997, Maine Republican Susan Collins is running for re-election to a sixth term. Collins is the only Republican senator representing one of the 19 states that Donald Trump lost in all three presidential campaigns. In 2020, Collins defeated Democrat Sara Gideon by 8.5% in what many expected to be a closer race. 

Platner was in a primary with popular Maine Democratic Governor Janet T. Mills until she dropped out of the race on May 1. Mills’ decision to exit is largely seen as an acknowledgement of Platner’s strength as an anti-establishment, populist newcomer. 

As of May 3rd, both The Cook Political Report and Sabato’s Crystal Ball rate this race as Toss Up, indicating that neither party currently has the advantage.