{"id":2521009,"date":"2025-12-14T07:35:02","date_gmt":"2025-12-14T12:35:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/platner-courts-progressives-as-maine-senate-race-tightens\/"},"modified":"2025-12-14T07:39:45","modified_gmt":"2025-12-14T12:39:45","slug":"platner-courts-progressives-as-maine-senate-race-tightens","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/platner-courts-progressives-as-maine-senate-race-tightens\/","title":{"rendered":"Platner courts progressives as Maine Senate race tightens"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fplatner-courts-progressives-as-maine-senate-race-tightens%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2521009&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article discusses Graham Platner, a progressive outsider candidate in Maine&#8217;s Democratic Senate primary, challenging Governor Janet Mills for the chance to face incumbent Republican Senator Susan Collins. Despite controversies surrounding Platner&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-fcc-nominee-sits-on-board-of-group-that-opposes-anti-sex-trafficking-efforts\/\" title=\"Biden FCC Nominee Sits on Board of ... That Opposes Anti...Sex Trafficking Efforts\">past social media posts<\/a> and personal history-including criticisms of police, offensive comments about rural voters, and a tattoo resembling a Nazi symbol-he maintains support from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-banking-nominee-proud-recipient-of-collegiate-lenin-award\/\" title=\"Biden Banking Nominee Proud Recipient of Collegiate \u2018Lenin Award\u2019\">prominent progressive lawmakers<\/a> and liberal organizations, including endorsements from Senator Bernie Sanders and the Progressive Change Campaign Committee.<\/p>\n<p>Platner is positioning himself against the Democratic establishment and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, aligning with a group of liberal senators known as the &#8220;Fight Club,&#8221; who resist Schumer&#8217;s influence in primary races. While party leadership backs mills and has expressed concerns about Platner&#8217;s viability in the general election against Collins, recent polls show a tight race: Mills leads Platner in the primary, but Platner holds a slight edge over Mills in head-to-head general election matchups with Collins.<\/p>\n<p>Platner acknowledges the challenges posed by negative attacks on his past but <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >emphasizes building grassroots support<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/pritzker-vs-newsom-2028-showdown-brews-over-democratic-game-plan\/\" title=\"Pritzker vs. Newsom: 2028 showdown brews over Democratic game plan\">advocating progressive policies<\/a> like Medicare-for-All. His campaign highlights internal divisions within the Democratic Party as Maine&#8217;s Senate race becomes a critical battleground in the fight to retake the Senate.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Platner courts progressives as Maine Senate race with Mills and Collins tightens<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2385500\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>Liberal groups and senators are standing firm in their embrace of <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/3862892\/platner-rebuilds-campaign-after-setbacks-blames-party-leadership\/\">Graham Platner<\/a>, even as the progressive outsider&rsquo;s <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/3884042\/graham-platner-online-posts-put-democrat-in-deep-water-poll\/\">political baggage<\/a> hangs over Maine&rsquo;s Democratic Senate primary to take on incumbent Sen. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/susan-collins\/\">Susan Collins<\/a> (R-ME).<\/p>\n<p>The former oyster farmer and Marine veteran is wooing lawmakers and voters more aligned with the progressive wing, as well as some unlikely lobbyists, as he seeks to triumph over primary opponent Gov. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/janet-mills\/\">Janet Mills<\/a> (D-ME) in a state critical to Democrats&rsquo; effort to retake the upper chamber.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/3915750\/aaf-trump-heritage-pressure-campaign-indiana\/\">Conservative advocacy group slams Trump and Heritage pressure campaign over Indiana redistricting<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/3914481\/trump-attacks-indiana-republican-leader-day-before-final-redistricting-vote\/\">Trump attacks Indiana Republican Rodric Bray on day before final redistricting vote<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/3912229\/brad-lander-campaign-dan-goldman-new-york-house-seat\/\">NYC progressive Brad Lander to launch bid for Dan Goldman&#8217;s House seat<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>A <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/washington-dc\/\">Washington<\/a> fundraiser for Platner this week, held by Sen. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/martin-heinrich\/\">Martin Heinrich<\/a> (D-NM), was the latest evidence of sitting senators&rsquo; willingness to buck party leadership on midterm campaign strategy by not embracing establishment-backed Mills.<\/p>\n<p>The event, supported by lobbyists of industries that the insurgent candidate has criticized, came on the heels of Platner revealing he&rsquo;s had recent conversations with unspecified members of the Senate&rsquo;s so-called &ldquo;<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/11\/24\/us\/politics\/schumer-democrats-senate-fight-club.html\">Fight Club<\/a>&rdquo; of liberal Democrats ready to resist Minority Leader <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/chuck-schumer\/\">Chuck Schumer&rsquo;s<\/a> (D-NY) primary meddling tactics. That club includes Heinrich.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Chuck Schumer very much is, at this point, pretty much a perfect example of the kind of Democrat that has been operating in the system the entire time, has benefited from it, who has gained an immense amount of power. And yet, for some reason, we can&rsquo;t do anything with that power,&rdquo; Platner told reporters and supporters <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/boldprogressives\/videos\/1532078438031245\/\">during a call<\/a> earlier this month. &ldquo;For <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/section\/senate\">Senate<\/a> candidates, I think opposing Sen. Schumer&rsquo;s leadership is fairly paramount for pushing a new way of doing things.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Schumer&rsquo;s top deputy, Minority Whip <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/dick-durbin\/\">Dick Durbin<\/a> (D-IL), who is not seeking reelection next year and aligns more with the caucus centrists, defended the strategy to place the party&rsquo;s Senate campaign arm behind hand-picked candidates in contested primaries across the map.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Historically, we have tried to make sure there is a viable winner &mdash; potential winner &mdash; in the primary,&rdquo; Durbin said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s tricky because the local people may not agree with our conclusion, but I think it&rsquo;s a starting premise.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The latest warning about Platner&rsquo;s viability against Collins came last month in the form of an <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/f\/?id=0000019a-7501-dfdd-af9b-75912aca0000\">internal poll<\/a> from Democratic group EMILYs List, which promotes women candidates and is backing Mills. They found that most voters, upon learning of his controversial past social media posts, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2025\/11\/12\/poll-graham-platner-maine-senate-emilys-list-00647389\">side with Collins<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>That checkered past remains one of Platner&rsquo;s biggest general election weaknesses. The former <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/veterans\/\">combat veteran<\/a> has said he was &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/dnc-chair-stands-by-platner-in-maine-senate-race-over-old-posts\/\" title=\"DNC chair stands by ... in ... over old posts\">struggling deeply&#038;rdquo<\/a>; after returning from serving in Afghanistan and Iraq, and apologized for a deluge of years old posts about claiming to be a communist, criticizing police, saying rural, white voters in <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/maine\/\">Maine<\/a> were &ldquo;stupid&rdquo; and &ldquo;racist,&rdquo; and having a tattoo resembling a Nazi symbol that he has since covered up.<\/p>\n<p>But when it comes to beating Collins, a feat Democrats have been unable to achieve for more than two decades, the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/hs-21701012.f.hubspotstarter.net\/hubfs\/21701012\/67th%20Omnibus%20Poll%20December%202025.pdf\">latest polling<\/a> suggests it&rsquo;s a statistical tie which candidate is better suited to deny one of the GOP&rsquo;s most centrist lawmakers a sixth term.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Graham Platner, Maine&rsquo;s Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, chats with his neighbor, Denis Nault, Monday, Nov. 3, 2025, in Sullivan, Maine. (AP Photo\/Robert F. Bukaty)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Although polling is <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.realclearpolling.com\/elections\/senate\/2026\/maine\">early and limited<\/a>, the survey shows Collins and Mills tied head-to-head at 43%, and Platner with a 1-point lead over Mills, at 43% to 42%. But the poll, released this week and conducted by Pan Atlantic Research, showed Mills besting Platner in the primary by double digits, 47% to 37%. &nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Still, liberal fundraising juggernauts such as Sen. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/bernie-sanders\/\">Bernie Sanders<\/a> (I-VT), an early endorser of Platner, are among the progressive lawmakers and organizations buoying his candidacy. Earlier this month, the Progressive Change Campaign Committee endorsed Platner while simultaneously releasing an internal poll showing Platner leading Mills 58% to 38%.<\/p>\n<p>In the call with reporters and supporters organized by PCCC, Platner said he&rsquo;s already had &ldquo;several meetings with multiple members&rdquo; of the Fight Club, but did not divulge who. The group consists of Sens. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/chris-van-hollen\/\">Chris Van Hollen<\/a> (D-MD), <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/tina-smith\/\">Tina Smith<\/a> (D-MN), <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/chris-murphy\/\">Chris Murphy<\/a> (D-CT), <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/elizabeth-warren\/\">Elizabeth Warren<\/a> (D-MA), <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/ed-markey\/\">Ed Markey<\/a> (D-MA), <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/jeff-merkley\/\">Jeff Merkley<\/a> (D-OR), Sanders, and Heinrich.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/3862892\/platner-rebuilds-campaign-after-setbacks-blames-party-leadership\/\">PLATNER REBUILDS CAMPAIGN AFTER SETBACKS HE BLAMES ON PARTY LEADERSHIP<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Platner made the case that more favorable surveys, such as the one from PCCC, were evidence that &ldquo;a lot of people see all of this as nonsense, the negative attack ads,&rdquo; and that he was destined to face them regardless of his past social media posts. He also distanced himself from the notion that opposing Schumer as the Democratic leader was a &ldquo;litmus test&rdquo; for progressive candidates like himself, and is more of a &ldquo;tactical&rdquo; calculation for how to pass more liberal policies.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;You fight it by, frankly, building a movement, building power, and then engaging with people directly,&rdquo; Platner said. &ldquo;Those attacks, they were coming anyways. I&rsquo;m pushing for Medicare-for-all. They&rsquo;re going to call me a communist. I&rsquo;m an out-and-out anti-fascist, and somebody somewhere is going to come along and try to turn that around into some left-wing radicalism.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Platner courts progressives amid tight Maine Senate race<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3108,"featured_media":2521010,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/AP25309659841894.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[54092,65502,32504],"class_list":["post-2521009","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-maine-senate","tag-platner","tag-political-strategy"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/AP25309659841894.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2521009","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3108"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2521009"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2521009\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2521013,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2521009\/revisions\/2521013"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2521010"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2521009"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2521009"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2521009"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}