Maine Democrat Graham Platner Is Winning Voters All 'Pissed At The Same Thing'

Graham Platner, the oyster farmer seeking to become Maine's next Senator, has seized frontrunner status in the Democratic primary with a progressive vision that’s finally finding an audience in the historically moderate state.

The Maine race is a must-win for Democrats, who need a net gain of four seats in November’s midterm elections to claim a Senate majority and see an opportunity to oust Republican Susan Collins from a seat she’s held for nearly 30 years. A series of recent polls have put Platner ahead of his main challenger in the June 9 Democratic primary, two-term Maine Governor Janet Mills, even as he faces backlash for misogynistic and offensive social media posts he made years ago. Platner earned 55% support among likely primary voters to Mills’ 28% in an Emerson College poll released Thursday.