By
Ed Kilgore,
political columnist for Intelligencer since 2015
Graham Platner celebrating his big primary win.
When Maine Governor Janet Mills suspended her U.S. Senate candidacy in April, it looked like Graham Platner would be the Democratic nominee. Defeating incumbent Republican Susan Collins could be crucial to Democrats’ goal of retaking the Senate, and the progressive “outsider” seemed like he had a good shot. Yes, all sorts of unsettling details about Platner’s psychological and behavioral issues (ranging from obnoxious social media posts to a certain Nazi-adjacent tattoo) during and after his military service had come out, to the joy of his detractors in both parties. But it all seemed like ancient history, given his impressive communications skills and freedom from Democratic Establishment baggage. Polls showed him crushing Mills (which precipitated her departure from the race) and handily beating Collins.
