Insurgent U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner has raised $1 million in his campaign to unseat U.S. Sen. Susan Collins.
The average donation was $33, and 98 percent were under $100, his campaign said Thursday morning.
In addition to the money haul, his campaign announced that it’s recruited more than 2,700 volunteers.
“I am completely humbled and frankly overwhelmed by the support we have gotten in just over a week,” Platner, a Democrat, said in a Thursday statement. “We are truly building something special here in Maine, and I am honored that it is powered by tens of thousands of small contributions, and not a single corporate PAC check.”
Platner, a 40-year-old oyster farmer from Sullivan who has support from unions, made waves last week when he announced that he would challenge U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, a Republican, in the 2026 November election.
Platner has criticized Democrats for not backing up their dire fundraising messaging with more combative action against President Donald Trump. His campaign boasted Friday that it’s raised $400,000 so far and is attracting 300 volunteers a day.
He faces an uphill battle against Collins, who plans to run for a historic sixth term next year. She has handily beaten back challengers, including in 2020 when she defied polls and expectations to eke out a fifth term in the Senate. Despite that, Collins, once ranked the country’s most bipartisan senator, has seen her popularity slump since Trump’s first term in the White House.
Platner served three tours in Iraq with the U.S. Marine Corps and another tour of duty in Afghanistan with the Army National Guard. He serves as Sullivan’s harbormaster and the chair of the Sullivan Planning Board.
He will join U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent from Vermont who caucuses with Democrats, and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Troy Jackson during a Labor Day rally in Portland.
The Monday rally will be held at Portland’s Merrill Auditorium on Myrtle Street. Tickets aren’t required but anyone who wishes to attend is encouraged to RSVP. Doors open at 3:30 p.m. and the rally starts at 6 p.m.