Politics
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Members of Gov. Janet Mills’ inner circle who support her suspended U.S. Senate bid aren’t rallying around Democratic candidate Graham Platner, the progressive oyster farmer aiming to oust Republican Sen. Susan Collins.
Former Maine Democratic Party Vice Chair Peggy Schaffer, who in March appeared in a Mills ad targeting Platner’s old Reddit posts condemned as blaming survivors of sexual abuse, said she’ll vote for Mills first and longshot David Costello second in the June 9 primary. She’ll vote for Platner if he’s the nominee, but she’ll be holding her nose “like eating peas.”
“He’s better than Susan Collins, I hope,” she said, adding that many Democrats “are still marinating on it.”
While Platner has been embraced by national Democratic figures who backed Mills, the lingering wariness in Mills’ orbit about Platner comes as the political newcomer seeks to build a movement strong enough to topple Collins in a must-win race for Democrats aiming to retake the Senate.
In recent days, Ben Goodman, Mills’ press secretary in Augusta, has shared several posts on his personal X account in recent days suggesting he’s unlikely to cast a ballot for the insurgent candidate who outpolled Mills for months.
Shares include stories highlighting Platner’s covered tattoo of a Nazi-linked image and an article from a conservative outlet appearing to knock Platner’s working-class image by highlighting the “elite” background of his business partner. Goodman, who declined to comment, notes on his account that the views shared are his own and not those of the administration.
In a recent Facebook post, state Rep. Cassie Julia, D-Waterville, a Mills backer, suggested propaganda from bad actors outside the race may be fostering pressure on Democrats to back Platner as a form of party loyalty. She said such tactics were “used over and over to divide and splinter and cede control of the Republican Party over to MAGA.”
Julia described Mills as a “battle-tested candidate” who has twice won support from many Republicans and unenrolled voters in a state where about a third of registered voters are Democrats. Julia said she’s always supported Democratic nominees in the past but has concerns about Platner’s lack of political and government experience.
“I’m a very progressive person, candidate and representative, so it feels weird to not be out there waving a flag for the progressive candidate in a primary,” Julia said. “I am trying to resolve that in my own mind.”
Barbara Trafton, a former lawmaker and longtime Mills ally, said the governor remained her top choice in the primary, calling her “by far the most qualified candidate.” Asked whether she’d vote for Platner if he is the nominee, Trafton said she hadn’t been thinking about him.
“I looked at him as a candidate and didn’t like … his lack of experience and demonstration of a kind of character that I’ve always looked for in a Maine U.S. senator,” she said. “We’ll see where we are after the primary.”
The Platner campaign declined to comment. He recently praised Mills’ decades of public service and said he reached out to the governor after she suspended her campaign. Neither side has said whether the two have spoken, although they attended events together at the Maine Democratic Party’s convention earlier this month.
Platner supporters point to several Democratic lawmakers, including Sens. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff of Georgia and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, who didn’t follow traditional paths to office. Warren endorsed Platner in mid-March, just after Mills launched a series of ads highlighting the controversies that rocked Platner’s campaign in the fall.
Platner was endorsed last year by independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont. He’s also backed by Democratic U.S. Sens. Martin Heinrich of New Mexico and Ruben Gallego of Arizona. After Mills suspended her bid, more Democrats came on board, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York, who had recruited Mills to run.
Supporters insist that polls show voters have not been swayed by negative ads on Platner, who has apologized for past offensive social media posts. He faces increasing attacks from outside groups backing Collins, which have reserved tens of millions of dollars in ads through November.
“I’d rather have a candidate who’s willing to admit mistakes, and admit they’re trying to repair that,” Sebastian Meade, a Freeport delegate at the convention. “Whoever comes out on top at the end of the primary, Maine Democrats have to rally behind … full steam ahead.”