SouthernWorldwide.com – A former primary challenger has re-emerged in the Maine Senate race, aiming to capitalize on the ongoing controversies surrounding Democratic candidate Graham Platner. Janet Mills, who previously suspended her campaign, has reminded voters that her name will still appear on the ballot, offering a potential alternative to unseat the incumbent Republican Senator Susan Collins.
Platner has faced a series of scandals, yet he remains the strong favorite heading into the upcoming primary election. His sole active opponent, David Costello, has struggled to gain significant support.
However, Governor Janet Mills, who had earlier suspended her Senate campaign, has introduced a surprising development. Speaking to a columnist for the Lewiston Sun-Journal, she suggested that Democrats could still cast their votes for her as a means to defeat the long-serving Republican Senator Susan Collins, who is currently the only federal Republican officeholder in New England.
“People have the impression that I withdrew or dropped out,” Mills stated, as reported by columnist Steve Collins.
“I simply suspended active campaigning. I am still on the ballot,” Mills clarified. She is known for her strong opposition to Donald Trump and had faced public criticism from the president during a White House event earlier this year regarding the issue of transgender athletes in women’s sports.
While reports from Maine media indicated that fundraising difficulties were a primary reason for Mills pausing her campaign, Platner has continued to navigate through a string of controversies.
One of the most frequently cited controversies by Republicans is Platner’s “Totenkopf” chest tattoo, an emblem previously used by German Nazi concentration camp guards. His campaign also became entangled in a separate issue when a consultant approached sports media personality David Portnoy to collaborate on a campaign against private equity, specifically targeting the Boston Red Sox front office.
Portnoy declined the proposal, citing his Jewish faith and Platner’s controversial tattoo as reasons for his refusal.
Platner also had to defend himself following the resurfacing of a Reddit post in which he made derogatory remarks about former Pennsylvania lieutenant gubernatorial candidate Teddy Daniels. In the post, Platner referred to Daniels as a “dumb motherf—-er” for being severely wounded in a Taliban siege, attributing Daniels’ survival to “poor marksmanship” by the Afghan attackers.
Mills’ campaign X account, which had been inactive since April 30, resumed activity on June 1 with a post celebrating Pride Month.
“Everyone deserves the freedom to live authentically and marry who they love without fear. I’m proud to stand with the LGBTQ+ community, today and every day,” Mills declared in her post.
Meanwhile, Steve Collins noted in his column that a growing number of independent and Democratic female voters in Maine are expressing concern over Platner’s various scandals.
He suggested that their collective dissatisfaction is “more likely to kill [Platner’s] campaign… than greedy millionaires.”
Senator Susan Collins’ counterpart in the Senate is the Independent Senator Angus King Jr., who aligns with the Democratic party and consistently votes with them.
The primary election in Maine is scheduled for June 9.
