Politics
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In February, just after a poll showed she was way behind progressive oyster farmer Graham Platner, Gov. Janet Mills warned that Republican ads would “make mincemeat” of the political newcomer if he became the Democratic U.S. Senate nominee.
Less than three weeks after Mills suspended her campaign, which lacked funding to sustain itself after launching her own attack ads on Platner, out-of-state groups backing Republican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins are flooding the airwaves with a mix of old and new broadsides from the archive of Platner’s old Reddit posts unearthed in October to bring Mills’ warning to fruition.
Collins held her seat during another massive 2020 challenge by running far ahead of President Donald Trump. Platner has led her in early polls, including among independents and women who are the focus of the early Republican efforts to negatively define the newcomer while delivering a steady stream of messaging on Collins’ decades of experience.
“That is the flip side of being a fresh face. You haven’t been vetted,” Christopher Nicholas, a Pennsylvania-based Republican consultant, said. “There was no one else in the state beside the governor, who was too old, and this guy?”
Platner’s campaign has only ramped up since Mills exited the race last month. Democrats in Maine and nationwide have increasingly embraced him. Supporters argue he’s a flawed but authentic progressive who’s learned from mistakes and could bring a working-class movement to a Washington dominated by the Republican Party.
They also note that he weathered the initial torrent of stories about his offensive posts and a tattoo of a Nazi skull-and-crossbones symbol that he covered when it came to light, arguing that Mainers across the political spectrum here don’t fit traditional expectations and aren’t likely to buy into messaging from outsiders.
“These cautious politicians — Janet Mills, Susan Collins — they keep shooting for that mythical moderate,” Brendan Davison, an organizer for the Maine Democratic Socialists of America, said. “Then you look at someone like Graham … the reason they’re resonating is because we’re not just moderates.”
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Many of Platner’s 1,800 Reddit posts between 2009 and 2021 got heavy attention from state and national in the fall, including ones first reported by the Bangor Daily News from 2013 in which he asked why Black people “don’t tip” and suggested people concerned about being raped shouldn’t be inebriated around those they don’t feel comfortable with.
Over the past week, conservative outlets have gone deeper. In 2017, he posted comments about masturbating in portable toilets and lewd graffiti. Roughly two years later, Platner on Reddit said a soldier shot by the Taliban was “dumb” and “didn’t deserve to live.”
That same year Platner complained about the loss of a tax exemption for a chunk of income for Americans serving more than 330 days overseas. “Spend your leave banging hookers in Thailand instead of getting [expletive] at by the wife back home, and you could sell it as avoiding federal income tax,” he wrote.
When asked about some of the posts on Thursday, Collins told reporters in Washington that it was “never appropriate” to mock a downed soldier. While Platner has apologized for many past comments , his team has said the new wave of criticism is old material that won’t sway voters. The campaign has targeted its response at the well-funded Republican effort to denounce him.
A new ad from the super PAC Pine Tree Results characterizes the Democrat’s past social media commentary and behavior, much of it widely reported since October. Funders include Blackstone CEO Steve Schwarzman, hedge fund executives Paul Singer and Louis Bacon, Palantir CEO Alex Karp, businessman John Malone and Apollo Global Management CEO Marc Rowan.
The group has booked $22 million in ads through Election Day and put up a new website on Platner listing a handful of “red flags.” Collins’ team notes that while Platner and the Democrats’ advertising on Collins has been negative, ads going after Platner often rely on his own statements.
“It’s clear that the GOP establishment and the billionaire donors filling their pockets are rightfully panicking, because their senator is on the verge of being defeated by a Marine and an oyster farmer,” Ben Chin, Platner’s campaign manager, said in a statement.
Platner’s team also questioned the potential impact of negative TV ads, noting former Maine House Speaker Sara Gideon had more ads on the airwaves in 2020 only to lose by almost 9 percentage points.
Led by operatives of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York, Senate Majority PAC plans to spend more than $30 million in Maine. Democrats are also tapping into millions of dollars in dark money in the race. With the parties fighting for control of the Senate, ad reservations have already exceeded the $123 million from the record-breaking 2020 contest.
Megan Smith, an organizer for the progressive Maine People’s Alliance, said she didn’t think ads targeting Platner would undercut his momentum or potential support from swing voters if he stays on message as he talks with Maine voters.
“Rehashing old stories is not going to be in the best interest of either party,” she said. “Mainers want policy; they want solutions. How are you going to help me and make my life more affordable?”