Overview
- Graham Platner told the New York Times this month that Sen. Susan Collins "voted to send me to Iraq," connecting his 2005 enlistment and eight years of service, including combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, to her 2002 vote for the Iraq authorization.
- Collins responded at a campaign event by saying Platner volunteered for service and was not drafted and she noted he enlisted twice and later worked for a private security firm after leaving the military.
- Platner’s campaign issued a press release accusing Collins of dodging accountability for her vote and of failing to acknowledge the human cost of the Iraq War.
- The dispute highlights Collins’s long record on war-related measures, including her 2002 Iraq vote and recent mixed Senate votes on the Trump administration’s military campaign against Iran, which provide immediate context for Platner’s critique.
- The exchange has drawn sharp reactions from veterans and elected Democrats, and it is likely to be used in campaign messaging as national groups and big ad buys increase attention on the Maine Senate contest.