{"id":2611013,"date":"2026-06-05T09:46:01","date_gmt":"2026-06-05T13:46:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/blood-in-the-water-republicans-put-3-million-into-susan-collins-campaign\/"},"modified":"2026-06-05T09:48:00","modified_gmt":"2026-06-05T13:48:00","slug":"blood-in-the-water-republicans-put-3-million-into-susan-collins-campaign","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/blood-in-the-water-republicans-put-3-million-into-susan-collins-campaign\/","title":{"rendered":"Blood in the water: Republicans put $3 million into Susan Collins campaign"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><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%2Fblood-in-the-water-republicans-put-3-million-into-susan-collins-campaign%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=2611013&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>Graham Platner, a Democratic Senate hopeful in Maine, is facing intensified pressure as Republican-aligned groups increase spending on incumbent Sen. Susan Collins\u2019s reelection. One Nation announced a fresh $3 million investment and launched an ad campaign highlighting Collins\u2019s record, following mounting scrutiny and additional scandals involving Platner.<\/p>\n<p>In parallel, polling shared by a Collins-aligned PAC indicates platner\u2019s unfavorable image has grown sharply since January-favorable ratings rose only slightly while <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >unfavorable ratings jumped considerably<\/a>. the memo accompanying the poll argues that voter impressions worsen as more information about Platner becomes known, keeping the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/three-senate-contests-shaping-up-to-be-tougher-than-expected\/\" title=\"Three Senate races becoming more challenging than anticipated\">race highly competitive<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>the latest blow comes after the New York Times reported allegations of troubling conduct by Platner toward several former girlfriends. Platner denies the claims, but Democrats and strategists expressed concern that repeated controversies may make him difficult to support. Additional controversies previously surfaced from his past Reddit posts, including mocking wounded U.S. soldiers and making offensive religious or historical comments, as well as questions about tattoos and their significance.  <\/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 class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Embattled <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/democrats\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"249\">Democratic<\/a> Senate hopeful <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/graham-platner\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"22643\">Graham Platner<\/a> faces further problems after Republicans announced they were pouring $3 million into incumbent Sen. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/susan-collins\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"1302\">Susan Collins\u2019s<\/a> (R-ME) reelection campaign.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Republican-aligned PAC One Nation announced the new investment after a flurry of negative attention directed against Platner, as more <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/bidens-document-scandal-and-why-the-penn-biden-center-is-a-totally-secure-chinese-embassy\/\" title=\"Biden\u2019s Document Scandal And Why The Penn Biden Center Is A Totally Secure Chinese Embassy\">scandals continue<\/a> to pile up. It also launched a new ad campaign intended to cast light on Collins\u2019s accomplishments, especially vis-\u00e0-vis investments in Maine and help for veterans.<\/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\/4596470\/platner-accuser-lyndsey-fifield-new-york-times-journalists-twisted-story-help-campaign\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Graham Platner accuser says New York Times journalists \u2018twisted\u2019 her story to help his campaign<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/4594352\/midterm-countdown-expensive\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Midterm Countdown: The most expensive midterm ever?<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/4594471\/house-democrat-2026-elections-four-candidates-flagship-program\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>House Democratic campaign arm adds four candidates to flagship program for midterms<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cOne Nation thanks Senator Collins for her steady leadership, dependable service, and strong character and encourages Mainers to call Senator Collins to urge her to continue delivering policy wins for the state,\u201d One Nation Communications Director Chris Gustafson said in a statement.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Thursday brought other bad news for Platner: A <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/f\/?id=0000019e-95c1-d71f-a5df-97e7612c0000&#038;nname=playbook&#038;nid=0000014f-1646-d88f-a1cf-5f46b7bd0000&#038;nrid=849aba7f-f4d5-44d1-8dff-3ca5fb878b65\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/f\/?id=0000019e-95c1-d71f-a5df-97e7612c0000&#038;nname=playbook&#038;nid=0000014f-1646-d88f-a1cf-5f46b7bd0000&#038;nrid=849aba7f-f4d5-44d1-8dff-3ca5fb878b65\">June 1-3 poll<\/a> from Fabrizio, Lee &#038; Associates for Collins-aligned Pine Tree Results PAC found Platner\u2019s public image had plummeted, with respondents expressing an unfavorable view of the candidate nearly doubling.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In January, 35% of those polled said they had a favorable view of Platner, a total that increased to 40% in June as the race heated up. As for those who reported an unfavorable view of Platner, that total was 29% in January, but skyrocketed to 49% in June.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt is clear that the more voters learn about Platner the more they find they don\u2019t like him, making the Senate race HIGHLY competitive. Senator Collins and her allies need to muster the resources to keep the pressure on Platner as the Democrat money machine tries<br \/>to salvage Platner\u2019s candidacy,\u201d the memo concluded.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/premium\/4592977\/graham-platner-unfit-duty\/\" type=\"post\" id=\"4592977\">PLATNER IS UNFIT FOR DUTY: THE MAINE DEMOCRAT WOULD BE BEYOND THE PALE IN ANY OTHER ERA<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On Thursday, a piece from the <em>New York Times<\/em> detailed allegations of troubling behavior from the Senate hopeful against several ex-girlfriends. Platner has <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/grahamformaine\/status\/2062706708556734464?s=20\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/x.com\/grahamformaine\/status\/2062706708556734464?s=20\">denied<\/a> the accusations, but the repeated scandals have many Democratic strategists questioning his viability as a candidate.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cDemocrats in Maine and throughout the country have got to decide what is their priority: Justifying Graham Platner\u2019s behavior or winning the Democratic seat in Maine,\u201d Robert Zimmerman, a New York-based Democratic National Committee member, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2026\/06\/04\/platner-democrats-furious-new-york-times-report-00951496?utm_content=user\/politico&#038;utm_source=flipboard\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2026\/06\/04\/platner-democrats-furious-new-york-times-report-00951496?utm_content=user\/politico&#038;utm_source=flipboard\">told <em>Politico<\/em><\/a>. \u201cIt\u2019s very clear that Platner has not been able to credibly justify his conduct and Democrats who defend him sound like Republicans defending Donald Trump after the Access Hollywood tape.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Many of Platner\u2019s other recent troubles have come from the exposure of his former Reddit account, showing a deluge of controversial posts ranging from mocking wounded U.S. soldiers to insulting holy figures of Christianity to <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/4588033\/graham-platner-question-armenia-genocide-reddit\/\">questioning the Armenian Genocide<\/a>. He\u2019s also struggled to explain properly why he got a tattoo of the Totenkopf, the symbol of the SS guards of concentration camps.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Embattled Democrat Graham Platner faces new problems as Republicans pour $3M into Sen. Susan Collins\u2019s reelection<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2653,"featured_media":2611014,"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-d18lci8qf-1780023351358-e1780023413203.jpg?1780651671&amp;w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[80871,36350,3756,34870,35343],"class_list":["post-2611013","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-blood-in-the-water","tag-campaign-funding","tag-republicans","tag-susan-collins","tag-u-s-politics"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-collage-d18lci8qf-1780023351358-e1780023413203.jpg?1780651671&amp;w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2611013","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\/2653"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2611013"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2611013\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2611017,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2611013\/revisions\/2611017"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2611014"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2611013"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2611013"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2611013"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}