Graham Platner arrived at the Maine Democratic Party Convention on Saturday as the clear frontrunner, but his path to challenging Republican Sen. Susan Collins remained complicated by lingering doubts among party delegates and a stack of controversial past comments that opponents were already weaponizing.
The military veteran and oyster farmer described himself as "presumptive nominee" during his convention speech, a moment that drew mixed reactions from the party faithful gathered on the Portland waterfront. Platner's rise accelerated dramatically after Gov. Janet Mills withdrew from the primary race Thursday, citing fundraising struggles and Platner's surging campaign momentum. Many delegates exhaled in relief at the prospect of moving toward November's general election.
"She gave him enough challenge to get his campaign off the ground and organized, and she stepped down when she saw that it was time," said Jens Dill, a 72-year-old retired software engineer from Winthrop who supported Platner. "And she sent a message to Susan Collins: This guy knocked me out of the race. You're next."
Yet skepticism remained. Bettie Harris-Howard, a 76-year-old retired nursing administrator, called Platner's speech filled with empty platitudes and worried about his past controversies. She questioned whether Platner had truly moved beyond his combat experience in Iraq and Afghanistan, which he has said contributed to damaging social media posts from years past.
Those posts included statements downplaying sexual assault, criticizing police, and disparaging rural Americans. Platner also sports a tattoo that resembles a Nazi symbol, which he said he was unaware carried that connection and has since covered up.
Republicans are preparing an aggressive response. The Pine Tree Results PAC super PAC launched attack ads highlighting Platner's social media history and the tattoo incident before Mills even exited the race. National GOP spending could reach tens of millions of dollars in the Maine Senate race.
During a Friday interview with NBC News, Platner acknowledged the skepticism head-on. "It's up to people to believe whether or not I've changed. I mean, I can't force anyone to believe anything," he said. He encouraged doubters to attend his town halls and judge for themselves based on his recent life trajectory.
In his convention speech, Platner offered an oblique acknowledgment of his past struggles, framing them as something overcome. "I'm the young man who came back with the weight of forever wars and the alienation and the darkness that came with it, because I am one of the lucky ones," he said. "I am the man who found my way home, found my way to making a living on the sea, to community and to love. This state raised me, and this state saved me."
He later added, "While the powers that be have done everything they can to stop us, this state has chosen to believe in redemption."
Platner drew his strongest applause when directly addressing Collins. "Susan's charade is over," he declared, signaling the campaign's focus will pivot fully to the general election.
Platner's campaign is banking on grassroots organization and small-dollar fundraising to overcome years of Democratic disappointment in challenging Collins. The campaign has assembled 15,000 volunteers and demonstrated ability to raise money from individual donors rather than relying on establishment funding.
"There are a lot of folks in the kind of more establishment Democrat world that are really gun shy around Collins," Platner told NBC News. "They've gotten their hopes up before, they've been let down before. We are doing something entirely different, and that's why we're gonna win."
Some delegates expressed enthusiasm about this unconventional approach. Kerri Van Kirk, a 35-year-old business coach from Bristol, said Platner's focus on ground organization resonated. "He's inspiring a lot of people to volunteer, to organize, and I don't think anybody has had that level of enthusiasm," she said.
The decision by national Democratic leaders, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, to back Mills in the primary created friction that Platner's supporters believe actually helped him. Matt Camuso, a 31-year-old Rockport technology worker, described Schumer's endorsement as the "kiss of death" for Mills and suggested Democratic leaders had misread Maine voters' preferences.
"It does make me wonder sometimes, did they actually talk to many Maine people about their perception of the Democratic Party nationally and here at the state level?" Camuso said. He acknowledged Platner's controversial history but viewed his apparent personal transformation as genuine in ways many other politicians were not.
Vice President Tim Walz, Minnesota's Democratic governor and the party's 2024 vice presidential nominee, spoke at the convention and struck a more philosophical note about the primary contest. Comparing Democratic diversity of opinion to herding "angry cats," Walz suggested the party's willingness to have internal debates strengthened rather than weakened it.
"These are healthy," Walz told NBC News when asked about the Senate primary. "The Democratic Party is willing to have discussions amongst themselves. They do not follow a leader blindly, and I think it makes us stronger."
Walz also expressed confidence in the general election. "I think Maine is done," he said of Collins' prospects, adding that while Platner was "obviously capturing some energy" and therefore "gonna catch some incoming fire," he believed the Republican senator's time in office was ending.
Platner technically must still win the June 9 primary election to secure the Democratic nomination. Former state government official David Costello remains in the race, though his path to victory has narrowed considerably following Mills' departure.
Schumer and Platner spoke Thursday night after Mills ended her campaign. "He called, he congratulated us on a well-run race," Platner said. "And then nothing brings people together like the need to unseat Susan Collins."
Author Sarah Mitchell: "Platner's ability to unite a fractured primary while rehabilitating his image will determine whether Maine Democrats finally get their shot at Collins, but the baggage is real and the Nov election will be won or lost on whether voters accept his redemption narrative."
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