Overview
- Gov. Janet Mills suspended her campaign Thursday, leaving Graham Platner as the presumptive Democratic nominee ahead of a June 9 primary and setting up a likely challenge to Sen. Susan Collins.
- Following Saturday’s raucous state convention, Platner showcased a grassroots operation of 15,000 volunteers as Democratic leaders signaled they will work with him despite past controversies.
- Republicans rushed to define Platner, with NRSC leaders labeling him “extreme” and a GOP super PAC airing an ad highlighting old social posts and a chest tattoo linked by critics to a Nazi SS emblem.
- Polling cited by RealClearPolitics shows Platner leading Collins, though Republicans note she has overcome early deficits before, and Collins points to more than $1.5 billion she steered to Maine as Appropriations chair.
- The race has drawn unusual crosscurrents, with Rahm Emanuel offering help if Platner is the nominee and Tucker Carlson praising his foreign policy views, underscoring how the contest has become a national proxy fight.