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Cole Kinsler is a web developer and musician in Westbrook.
Maine’s U.S. Senate race has attracted high levels of attention, media coverage, and financial influence, as Mainers face a real opportunity to unseat Sen. Susan Collins for the first time in her nearly three-decade career. Graham Platner’s campaign has garnered unprecedented levels of enthusiasm, with 15,000 volunteers, and several endorsements from unions representing large numbers of Maine workers. His class-focused message and strong progressive agenda are resonating with voters who are craving systemic change.
Platner, a veteran and oyster farmer, comes from a background far less typical than that of most American politicians. Unlike lawmakers who followed a traditional path through law school and political careers, Platner apparently never planned to run for higher office. He was recruited after progressive organizers and union leaders saw promise in his community organizing work.
Extensive media coverage has focused on years-old Reddit comments and a tattoo Platner says he got while serving as a young Marine. I believe he has addressed these issues by taking ownership and demonstrating his personal growth. Amidst these stories, the momentum around his campaign has not waned. Now the media is focusing on marital issues he and his wife, Amy, experienced early in their marriage and say they have since resolved through therapy and counseling.
I believe we should have more grace for candidates like Platner. If we want our government to be more responsive to the needs of working people, we need to elect regular working people to represent us in Washington. These regular people may not have the professional credentials or the law degree that are historically prevalent amongst our representatives. They may have made poor decisions in their youth, experienced family struggles, or if they’re a millennial, made regrettable comments on social media. If they have weathered challenges, learned from mistakes, and emerged with greater self-awareness and maturity, those experiences should not be held against them indefinitely.
In my view, these sorts of imperfections are secondary to a candidate’s policy platform, their ability to communicate effectively, and their vision for the future. At a moment of historic wealth inequality that surpasses the Gilded Age, I want candidates who are willing to stand up for the working class. At a time when productivity continues to soar while wages remain stagnant, I want candidates who are willing to make structural changes to redistribute wealth back to workers. At a time when our leaders are spending billions on war and potential genocide abroad, I want candidates who will stand up against the military industrial complex and fight to reinvest in our communities instead.
I believe Platner’s past has been thoroughly discussed, and some scrutiny is appropriate. The question now is whether he has demonstrated the values and vision needed to represent Maine in Washington.
The recurring theme I hear from Platner supporters is that once you attend a town hall or an organizing event and hear him speak, it becomes clear he is deeply committed to the working class politics he espouses. I agree with this assessment. Listening to his speeches, and his responses to questions, it’s apparent to me that he is able to place this moment within a broader reading of history. He takes lessons from the civil rights and labor movements to offer a theory of power that can provide more economic freedom and dignity to working people.
If Democrats genuinely want candidates who understand the lives and struggles of regular people, they must be willing to support candidates whose lives are not perfectly curated. I would love to see more teachers, social workers, union leaders, veterans, and oyster farmers serving in Washington. I believe they’re much more likely to represent the interests of working people than career politicians who have spent their lives inside elite institutions.