{"id":2584163,"date":"2026-03-26T15:47:01","date_gmt":"2026-03-26T19:47:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/platner-holds-comfortable-lead-over-janet-mills-in-maine-senate-race-poll\/"},"modified":"2026-03-26T15:49:43","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T19:49:43","slug":"platner-holds-comfortable-lead-over-janet-mills-in-maine-senate-race-poll","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/platner-holds-comfortable-lead-over-janet-mills-in-maine-senate-race-poll\/","title":{"rendered":"Platner holds comfortable lead over Janet Mills in Maine Senate race: Poll"},"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\">24<\/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-holds-comfortable-lead-over-janet-mills-in-maine-senate-race-poll%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=2584163&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>An Emerson College Polling survey shows maine Democratic Senate hopeful Graham Platner with a significant lead over Governor Janet Mills in teh party primary, 55% to 28%, with 13% undecided.Platner, a political newcomer, leads male voters 63% to 22% and women 50% to 32%. Both Platner and Mills are shown as having an edge over incumbent Sen. Susan Collins in <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >hypothetical general-election matchups<\/a>. Mills released an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/attack-ad-from-left-wing-activists-allowed-to-trend-on-twitter-inciting-violence-against-conservatives-the-liberty-loft\/\" title=\"Attack ... From Left-Wing Activists Allowed to Trend On Twitter Inciting Violence Against Conservatives\">attack ad<\/a> highlighting sexist comments platner had posted online more than a decade ago; Platner has apologized, saying he was horrified and did not recognize the person behind the posts, wich he attributed to a arduous period after his military service in Afghanistan and Iraq. Platner has earned endorsements from prominent Democrats, including Bernie Sanders, Ruben Gallego, and Elizabeth Warren. The poll also notes that Platner\u2019s lead is outside the margin of error.  <\/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\">Graham Platner holds comfortable lead over Janet Mills in Maine Senate race: Poll<\/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_2372862\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/maine\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"193\">Maine<\/a> Senate hopeful Graham Platner holds a significant lead over Gov. Janet Mills (D-ME) in the state&rsquo;s Democratic <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/senate\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"8765\">Senate <\/a>primary, according to a Thursday poll.<\/p>\n<p>Platner, who has painted himself as a political newcomer, leads Mills, a longtime staple in Maine politics, 55% to 28%, according to an <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/emersoncollegepolling.com\/maine-2026-poll-platner-leads-gov-mills-democrats-lead-sen-collins-in-maine\/\">Emerson College Polling survey<\/a>. Thirteen percent of the respondents said they were undecided.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4474607\/cpac-call-for-unity-gop-infighting-trump-midterm-elections\/\">CPAC begins annual conference with call for unity amid GOP divisions<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4504362\/democrats-blame-dhs-shutdown-sarah-bedford\/\">Democrats aren&rsquo;t acting as if they will bear &lsquo;blame&rsquo; for DHS shutdown: Sarah Bedford<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4503766\/gop-ad-blitz-blankets-senate-map-promos-trump-tax-law\/\">GOP ad blitz blankets Senate map with promos for Trump tax law<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>&ldquo;Graham Platner has a significant lead over Governor Mills, which is outside the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/poll-kamala-harris-gains-on-trump-following-bidens-withdrawal-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Poll: Kamala Harris gains on Trump following Biden&#039;s withdrawal - Washington Examiner\">poll&#038;rsquo<\/a>;s margin of error,&rdquo; said Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling. &ldquo;Male voters support Platner by a 41-point margin, 63% to 22%, while women support Platner by an 18-point margin, 50% to 32%.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The poll also indicated that both Platner and Mills have an edge over incumbent Sen. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/susan-collins\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"1302\">Susan Collins<\/a> (R-ME) in hypothetical general election matchups.<\/p>\n<p>Platner&rsquo;s favorability comes as he has faced increased scrutiny over his past in recent weeks. <\/p>\n<p>Earlier this month, Mills released an attack ad against Platner, highlighting sexist comments he made online over 10 years ago that resurfaced in October 2025. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/warren-endorses-populist-primary-candidates-in-maine-and-michigan\/\" title=\"Warren endorses populist primary candidates in Maine and Michigan\">posts included comments suggesting women<\/a> should &ldquo;not get so f***ed up they wind up having sex with someone they don&rsquo;t mean to,&rdquo; and that women should &ldquo;act like an adult&rdquo; to avoid rape.<\/p>\n<p>The ad followed a <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/mainemorningstar.com\/2026\/03\/04\/another-poll-finds-platner-leading-mills-in-u-s-senate-primary\/\">different poll<\/a> indicating that Platner was leading the two-term governor.<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4496683\/graham-platner-attack-ad-sexist-comments\/\"><strong>MAINE SENATE HOPEFUL GRAHAM PLATNER RESPONDS TO ATTACK AD OVER PAST SEXIST COMMENTS<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Platner has repeatedly apologized for the comments, saying he was &ldquo;horrified&rdquo; and that he did not &ldquo;recognize the man on the other side of the posts.&rdquo; Platner said the posts were made in a difficult time shortly after he served in the military in Afghanistan and Iraq.<\/p>\n<p>Platner has also secured endorsements from prominent Democrats, including Sens. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/bernie-sanders\/\">Bernie Sanders<\/a> (I-VT), <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/ruben-gallego\/\">Ruben Gallego<\/a> (D-AZ), and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA).<\/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 leads Mills 55-28 in Maine poll<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4195,"featured_media":2584164,"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\/MixCollage-16-Dec-2025-10-05-AM-6687.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651,538],"tags":[76605,9148,65502,50878,37588],"class_list":["post-2584163","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","category-washington-examiner","tag-janetmills","tag-maine","tag-platner","tag-poll-2","tag-senaterace"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/MixCollage-16-Dec-2025-10-05-AM-6687.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2584163","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\/4195"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2584163"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2584163\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2584167,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2584163\/revisions\/2584167"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2584164"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2584163"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2584163"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2584163"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}