# Are there any reasons to reject Graham Platner in Maine (campaign suspended July 8, 2026) **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [March 4, 2026, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-reasons-to-reject-graham-platner-in-maine-campaign-suspended-july-8-2026/1028179 "2026-03-04T03:50:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2026, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-reasons-to-reject-graham-platner-in-maine-campaign-suspended-july-8-2026/1028179/81 "2026-03-09T13:29:06Z")
I was hoping Platner didn’t have much of a chance, but am finding that he’s significantly ahead in the polls: > **[New Maine poll shows swing towards Graham Platner in U.S. Senate race](https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/local/maine-poll-graham-platner-swing-us-senate-race/97-fc7944f8-4e9c-4a93-8137-a89c7401b2df)** > > The first-time candidate leads two-term Governor Janet Mills by seven percent in the Democratic primary. Mills, I’m reading, is a deeply unpopular governor who’s almost eighty. What a lackluster opponent! Platner’s campaign energy is driven by young white dudes–unfortunately a demographic sector easily captured by antisemites masquerading as leftists. I really wish the race had a better candidate, but it doesn’t appear to have one. ---
**Author:** ![ZosterSandstorm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e0b2c6/32.png) [@ZosterSandstorm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZosterSandstorm)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2026, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-reasons-to-reject-graham-platner-in-maine-campaign-suspended-july-8-2026/1028179/82 "2026-03-09T15:23:05Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > The fact that _The Boy with the Nazi Tattoo_ doesn’t set off their purity test is _incredibly_ telling. > > Kamala Harris is a far right monster because she had Lis Cheney at one campaign event, but Platner is a real solid dude 🙄 It’s almost as if the DSA types are not dealing from the top of the deck when they make claims about their principles and objectives…imagine such a thing. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2026, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-reasons-to-reject-graham-platner-in-maine-campaign-suspended-july-8-2026/1028179/83 "2026-03-09T15:43:49Z")
> [@asterion](#): > > She’s a 78 year old Boomer who’s claimed that she’ll only serve one term assuming she doesn’t die in office. You seriously think that being 78 is worse than being a Nazi? ---
**Author:** ![Thing.Fish](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thing.fish/32/9168_2.png) [@Thing.Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing.Fish)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2026, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-reasons-to-reject-graham-platner-in-maine-campaign-suspended-july-8-2026/1028179/84 "2026-03-09T16:43:54Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > There’s a segment of the “progressive” base so enamored with Platner statements like “I’m committed to ending this U.S.-funded genocide in Palestine”, that they’ll happily overlook his Nazi tattoo and playing footsie with neo-Nazi figures. > [@ZosterSandstorm](#): > > The DSA people are also not a group for whom the electoral success of the Democratic Party or stopping Susan Collins from enacting Trump’s agenda on pretty much any issue outside of Israel-related foreign policy are major priorities. The result of the general election being “the profoundly offputting far-leftist losing to the incumbent Republican and his supporters getting to blame the Jews for it” would be more than acceptable to them, certainly immensely preferable to the normal Democrat winning. None of this is remotely true. ---
**Author:** ![Thing.Fish](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thing.fish/32/9168_2.png) [@Thing.Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing.Fish)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2026, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-reasons-to-reject-graham-platner-in-maine-campaign-suspended-july-8-2026/1028179/85 "2026-03-09T16:52:20Z")
I am shocked at the number of normally reasonable posters who are embracing elaborate “Manchurian Candidate” conspiracy theories, when “This guy is a confused idiot whose ideology is an incoherent mishmash of far left and far right beliefs” seems to explain all the evidence quite adequately. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2026, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-reasons-to-reject-graham-platner-in-maine-campaign-suspended-july-8-2026/1028179/86 "2026-03-09T16:58:23Z")
> [@Thing.Fish](#): > > when “This guy is a confused idiot whose ideology is an incoherent mishmash of far left and far right beliefs” seems to explain all the evidence quite adequately. That certainly explains Platner. It doesn’t explain why people in the same ideological camp that saw Kamala going to one campaign event with Liz Cheney as an unforgivable betrayal are totally cool with some who who blends far left and far right beliefs. You’d think that “the Nazis were cool enough that I want one of their symbols permanently inked onto my body” would be seen as a bigger betrayal than “Liz Cheney is cool enough that I’ll invite her to one event if she endorses me”; the fact that it _isn’t_ is notable and informative. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2026, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-reasons-to-reject-graham-platner-in-maine-campaign-suspended-july-8-2026/1028179/87 "2026-03-09T17:28:27Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > It doesn’t explain why people in the same ideological camp that saw Kamala going to one campaign event with Liz Cheney as an unforgivable betrayal are totally cool with some who who blends far left and far right beliefs. Do you have any evidence that this group is anything other than a tiny sliver in the Venn Diagram? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2026, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-reasons-to-reject-graham-platner-in-maine-campaign-suspended-july-8-2026/1028179/88 "2026-03-11T00:17:39Z")
> [@Thing.Fish](#): > > I am shocked at the number of normally reasonable posters who are embracing elaborate “Manchurian Candidate” conspiracy theories, when “This guy is a confused idiot whose ideology is an incoherent mishmash of far left and far right beliefs” seems to explain all the evidence quite adequately. I already said this, but to be clear, I do think that the “dumb hypothesis” is a lot more likely than the “smart hypothesis” of him as a stalking horse to discredit the Democrats as Nazis. I only include the “smart hypothesis” for the sake of completeness. ---
**Author:** ![ZosterSandstorm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e0b2c6/32.png) [@ZosterSandstorm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZosterSandstorm)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2026, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-reasons-to-reject-graham-platner-in-maine-campaign-suspended-july-8-2026/1028179/89 "2026-03-11T15:50:29Z")
In a special election held in Virginia yesterday, a seat that has been held by Democrats for 38 years was [won by a Republican](https://wjla.com/news/elections/woodbridge-supervisor-virginia-republican-special-election-jeannie-lacroix-democratic-turmoil-casim-pam-montgomery-caucus-debacle-politics). The Democratic nominee won an upset victory in a sleepy primary, ran a campaign focused on the already-fading “data centers” pseudoissue and about Israel Bad (because the Prince William County Board of Supervisors plays a crucial role in formulating U.S. foreign policy, don’t ya know), and had a series of racist tweets against Black people come to light under the scrutiny of a general election campaign where his opponent did the bare minimum of oppo research. Virginia has voted for the Democratic nominee for president in every election since 2008. The district where yesterday’s election took place voted 60% for Harris in 2024 and 67% for winning Democratic candidate Abigail Spanberger in the gubernatorial election held four months ago. So, please do not tell me that yesterday’s result was the outcome of “Fox News propaganda brainwashing people into being right-wingers” or any similar bullshit. This is what happens when Democrats nominate horseshoe candidates who alienate the party base and centrist voters to appeal to racist podcast listeners. If it happened in an area that is as heavily inclined to vote for Democrats as Woodbridge, then imagine what will happen in a place like Maine that is essentially a 50/50 tossup at the start of every race. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2026, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-reasons-to-reject-graham-platner-in-maine-campaign-suspended-july-8-2026/1028179/90 "2026-03-11T15:59:35Z")
That was a weird election. Write in candidates got almost 20%, way more than the margin of victory. It’s just as easy to blame this election on the “mainstream” moderate Democrat who ran a write in campaign after losing the primary. Maybe if she had worked with the primary winner instead of trying to sabotage it, he would have won. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2026, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-reasons-to-reject-graham-platner-in-maine-campaign-suspended-july-8-2026/1028179/91 "2026-03-11T16:02:52Z")
I realize that reading the entrails of every possible election result is fashionable ahead of the midterms, but placing a lot of significance on the results of a “Woodbridge supervisor” race seems…odd. ---
**Author:** ![ZosterSandstorm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e0b2c6/32.png) [@ZosterSandstorm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZosterSandstorm)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2026, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-reasons-to-reject-graham-platner-in-maine-campaign-suspended-july-8-2026/1028179/92 "2026-03-11T16:13:24Z")
I think it’s an interesting quantization of the effect of “leftist, racist podcast bro candidate” on actual voting behavior (as opposed to saying things in polls) in a race where the historical data shows the regular Democrat would have won with near-certainty. The only races bigger than local scale that you will have between the 2024 presidential election and the 2026 Senate election are the NJ and VA governor’s races that both already happened and both were won by regular Democrats - who each managed to win genuine swing states by a far larger margin than Mamdani won in New York City, btw. It continues to raise the question of - what problem is nominating Platner with all of his flaws tyring to solve, and why do you think it will succeed at doing so when every bit of evidence shows the opposite? ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2026, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-reasons-to-reject-graham-platner-in-maine-campaign-suspended-july-8-2026/1028179/93 "2026-03-11T16:31:11Z")
> [@ZosterSandstorm](#): > > because the Prince William County Board of Supervisors plays a crucial role in formulating U.S. foreign policy, don’t ya know ISTM that is more of the phenomenon of someone trying the strategy that has been used very effectively by Tea Party/MAGA of building from the ground up by going into usually “sleepy” local council/school board/water district races and displacing “complacent Establishment” types. Mind you, that some times you DO want and need to shake up a complacent establishment. As mentioned, that the Establishment Dem candidate then decided to go write-in instead and got more votes than the final margin, did not help and if anything will skew the argument in the direction of that “Blue no matter who” is how you should go. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2026, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-reasons-to-reject-graham-platner-in-maine-campaign-suspended-july-8-2026/1028179/94 "2026-03-11T16:58:27Z")
That’s not how politics works, though. If Democratic primary voters, in general, are unsatisfied and angry at “mainstream” Democrats, then those mainstream Democrats are usually going to lose the primary. That’s just how it works. This is one of the ways in which parties change. Telling voters to suck it up and vote for candidates they hate isn’t going to work. ---
**Author:** ![Thing.Fish](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thing.fish/32/9168_2.png) [@Thing.Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing.Fish)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2026, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-reasons-to-reject-graham-platner-in-maine-campaign-suspended-july-8-2026/1028179/95 "2026-03-11T18:18:29Z")
Meanwhile, while Zoster huffs frantically away at that copium, here’s a gentle reminder of the actual political climate: > A [Democrat](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/democrats) won a special election for a state house seat in New Hampshire on Tuesday, flipping a [Republican](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/republicans) district that [Donald Trump](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/donaldtrump) carried and marking the latest in a string of 28 Democratic upsets that could usher in a blue wave in the midterms. > > Bobbi Boudman beat Republican Dale Fincher in New Hampshire’s Carroll county district 7. It was Boudman’s third try at the seat – she lost to incumbent representative Glenn Cordelli in the last two cycles by several points. Cordelli resigned from the seat after moving, leading to the special election on 10 March. That’s right, folks, since Trump was elected Democrats are 28-0 in special elections. ---
**Author:** ![Thing.Fish](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thing.fish/32/9168_2.png) [@Thing.Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing.Fish)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2026, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-reasons-to-reject-graham-platner-in-maine-campaign-suspended-july-8-2026/1028179/96 "2026-03-11T18:20:01Z")
> [@ZosterSandstorm](#): > > the NJ and VA governor’s races that both already happened and both were won by regular Democrats - who each managed to win genuine swing states by a far larger margin than Mamdani won in New York City, btw Curious – did either of those races feature a spoiler “Democrat” who lost in the primary and kept running as an independent anyway? Because that would be the fair comparison to Mamdani’s election. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2026, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-reasons-to-reject-graham-platner-in-maine-campaign-suspended-july-8-2026/1028179/97 "2026-03-11T18:24:24Z")
NJ definitely did not. The party was firmly behind Mikie (sp?) Sherrill (sp?). ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2026, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-reasons-to-reject-graham-platner-in-maine-campaign-suspended-july-8-2026/1028179/98 "2026-03-11T18:27:21Z")
Neither did Virginia. ---
**Author:** ![Thing.Fish](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thing.fish/32/9168_2.png) [@Thing.Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing.Fish)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2026, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-reasons-to-reject-graham-platner-in-maine-campaign-suspended-july-8-2026/1028179/99 "2026-03-11T18:33:05Z")
Clearly, as LHoD’s link above demonstrates, the voters of Maine are seeing things very differently from us. Platner is not only beating Mills, he’s doing much better in a hypothetical matchup with Collins than Mills is. Only 30% of Maine voters have an unfavorable opinion of Platner (against 42% favorable), whereas Mills and Collins are both over 50% unfavorable. Demographically, the only age group where Mills is leading is over-55s, and then only by 3 points. Any explanation for why he’s winning that isn’t “Most Maine Democrats are secretly Nazi sympathizers?” Is anyone here actually from Maine? Literally everything I know about this guy I learned from the SDMB, and it doesn’t look good. But clearly the people who are following this election most closely have a very different view. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2026, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-reasons-to-reject-graham-platner-in-maine-campaign-suspended-july-8-2026/1028179/100 "2026-03-11T18:39:46Z")
> [@Thing.Fish](#): > > But clearly the people who are following this election most closely have a very different view. Well, they’re local, at least. To what extent they are actually following the election closely is a different question. Collins and Mills are both well-known quantities in the state, and have been for decades. And, while Platner is only 30% unfavorable, he’s only 42% favorable, meaning that one in four voters in the state (28%) don’t known enough about him to have a strong opinion, other than (maybe) “he’s not either of those two senior citizens, whom I’m really tired of already.” It would not surprise me if a lot of those people don’t follow the news enough to hear some of this stuff about Platner. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-reasons-to-reject-graham-platner-in-maine-campaign-suspended-july-8-2026/1028179.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-reasons-to-reject-graham-platner-in-maine-campaign-suspended-july-8-2026/1028179.md?page=6)