{"id":2599986,"date":"2026-05-07T15:16:02","date_gmt":"2026-05-07T19:16:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/susan-collins-and-graham-platner-draw-battle-lines-in-maine-senate-race\/"},"modified":"2026-05-07T15:20:27","modified_gmt":"2026-05-07T19:20:27","slug":"susan-collins-and-graham-platner-draw-battle-lines-in-maine-senate-race","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/susan-collins-and-graham-platner-draw-battle-lines-in-maine-senate-race\/","title":{"rendered":"Susan Collins and Graham Platner draw battle lines in Maine Senate race"},"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%2Fsusan-collins-and-graham-platner-draw-battle-lines-in-maine-senate-race%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=2599986&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>after Gov. Janet Mills\u2019s departure opened the path for Graham Platner, Sen. Susan Collins and Platner are rolling out their first general-election ads in Maine\u2019s battleground Senate race-an outcome that could shape control of the Senate for the remainder of President Donald Trump\u2019s term.<\/p>\n<p>Collins\u2019s 60-second spot presents her as a steady, results-focused centrist, emphasizing federal resources she helped bring to Maine, including the rebuilding of the Eastport Breakwater pier. It <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >largely avoids directly attacking<\/a> her opponent and instead spotlights her long record of delivery.<\/p>\n<p>Platner\u2019s ad takes the opposite approach, adopting a populist \u201crun the GOP establishment out of Washington\u201d tone while portraying himself as an insurgent challenging Collins\u2019s \u201cperformative politics,\u201d asserting that \u201cSusan Collins\u2019s charade is over.\u201d It also echoes democratic critiques that Collins often signals concern about Trump or Republicans before ultimately siding with them.<\/p>\n<p>Democratic strategists and national party leaders, while initially building around Mills\u2019s preferred \u201cblue-chip\u201d style, are now prepared to back Platner to defeat Collins and pursue the goal of winning a democratic Senate majority.  <\/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<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p>Sen. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/susan-collins\/\">Susan Collins<\/a> (R-ME) and Democrat <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4539844\/five-things-maine-senate-graham-platner\/\">Graham Platner<\/a> are showcasing their divergent paths in Maine\u2019s battleground Senate race in the aftermath of Gov. Janet Mills\u2019s (D-ME) <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4549217\/janet-mills-drops-out-maine-senate-race-clearing-way-platner\/\">abrupt departure<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Collins and Platner are dishing out their first ads of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/book-obama-enamored-with-beto-orourke-skeptical-of-joe-biden-in-2020-democratic-primary\/\" title=\"Book: Obama \u2018Enamored\u2019 with Beto O\u2019Rourke, Skeptical of Joe Biden in 2020 Democratic Primary\">general election campaign<\/a>, which could determine control of the Senate for the last two years of President Donald Trump\u2019s term. The 60-second spots couldn\u2019t be more different. <\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4558801\/pressure-brian-kemp-suspend-georgia-primary-redistricting\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Pressure mounts for Kemp to suspend primaries and take up redistricting<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4557835\/sununu-momentum-brown-outsider-new-hampshire-gop-primary\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Sununu gains momentum as Brown pushes outsider message in New Hampshire<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4558206\/michigan-gary-peters-warns-democrats-ugly-primary\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Michigan\u2019s outgoing senator warns Democrats against ugly succession race<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p>Collins, a centrist Republican who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee, presents her nearly three-decade, five-term Senate career as results-driven. In her new ad, Collins features the federal tax dollars she\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/white-house-releases-list-of-president-trumps-accomplishments-and-it-is-historic\/\" title=\"White House Releases List of President ...\u2019s Accomplishments \u2013  And It Is Historic!\">brought back<\/a> to Maine with the rebuilding of a collapsed pier vital to an East Coast town\u2019s waterfront economy. The <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=FH4z6Sv5n0c\">one-minute <\/a>spot makes no reference or mention of Collins until nearly the 30-second mark.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>The spot \u201cspeaks directly to one of the most pressing issues facing Maine families today: affordability,\u201d the Collins campaign says.<\/p>\n<p>Platner, the combat veteran and oyster farmer, chooses the resistance route. His <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Yus9UBZC7w4\">one-minute ad<\/a> resembles the style of a populist conservative vowing to run the GOP establishment out of Washington but with the rhetoric of a progressive insurgent taking on Collins\u2019s \u201cperformative politics.\u201d He vows that \u201cSusan Collins\u2019s charade is over.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Platner campaign says the ad \u201cfixes the campaign\u2019s messaging squarely on the senator he is running to defeat.\u201d And, hitting at longtime criticism from Democrats that Collins often expresses concern about President Donald Trump or fellow Republicans before ultimately siding with them on policy, the campaign referenced \u201cCollins\u2019s signature furrowed-brow concern \u2014 the votes that come down the wrong way, the statements that change nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">From l-r: Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) and presumptive Maine Democratic Senate nominee Graham Platner. (AP Photos\/J. Scott Applewhite\/Caleb Jones).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cThis could not lay out more of a contrast, which I think plays in Graham Platner\u2019s favor,\u201d said Jon Reinish, a Democratic strategist and former aide to Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), who now chairs Senate Democrats\u2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/republicans-outraise-democrats-across-the-board-in-january\/\" title=\"... Outraise ... Across the Board in January\">campaign arm<\/a>. \u201cHe\u2019s tapping into anger. She is tapping into what is, or remains of, her strength, which is, \u2018I\u2019ve served this community for a long time. I\u2019ve brought back resources.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4550513\/democrats-left-wing-candidates-2026-midterms-risk\/\">DEMOCRATS WORRY LEFT-LEANING NOMINEES COULD UNDERCUT FAVORABLE MIDTERM MAP AFTER MILLS EXIT IN MAINE<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>National Democrats have extended a reluctant embrace of Platner in the wake of Mills clearing the way for him to scoop up the nomination next month. The establishment-aligned governor was among Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer\u2019s (D-NY) blue-chip recruits that he envisioned leading the party back to the majority in November. But now, Schumer and the party\u2019s campaign arm are prepared to \u201cwork with\u201d Platner to defeat Collins in pursuit of their \u201cNorth Star,\u201d which is \u201cwinning a Democratic Senate majority.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Collins makes no reference to Platner in her ad. Instead, her campaign says her efforts to help rebuild the Eastport Breakwater pier, the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/portofeastport.org\/\">deepest natural seaport in the continental U.S.<\/a>, after its 2014 collapse is part of her mantra to run \u201con a strong record of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/exclusive-rep-claudia-tenney-new-democrat-congressional-challenger-josh-riley-definition-of-d-c-swamp\/\" title=\"Exclusive \u2014 Rep. Claudia Tenney: New Democrat Congressional Challenger Josh Riley \u2018Definition of D.C. Swamp&#039;\">delivering real results<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sen. Susan Collins and Graham Platner launch contrasting ad campaigns after Gov. Janet Mills\u2019s exit<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3108,"featured_media":2599989,"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\/2026\/05\/image-collage-9usdkwtgm-1778177032569-e1778179939287.jpg?1778162799&amp;w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651,538],"tags":[65649,65283,34870],"class_list":["post-2599986","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","category-washington-examiner","tag-graham-platner","tag-maine-senate-race","tag-susan-collins"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-collage-9usdkwtgm-1778177032569-e1778179939287.jpg?1778162799&amp;w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2599986","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=2599986"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2599986\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2599994,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2599986\/revisions\/2599994"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2599989"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2599986"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2599986"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2599986"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}