Overview
- Elizabeth Warren, who rallied with Graham Platner in Portland on Saturday, urged Democrats to back the political newcomer as the party’s best shot to unseat Sen. Susan Collins.
- The primary has split top Democrats, with Warren and Bernie Sanders endorsing Platner while Senate leader Chuck Schumer and party operatives line up behind Gov. Janet Mills.
- Recent public polls from Maine People’s Resource Center and Emerson show Platner leading Mills by roughly 27 to 33 points, and an Emerson survey cited by local media shows him up by more than five against Collins in a hypothetical matchup.
- Platner has outraised Mills, with the Boston Globe reporting $4.6 million for him last quarter versus $2.6 million for her, as he campaigns on universal health care, child care, and higher taxes on billionaires.
- Scrutiny of Platner’s past conduct continues, including old Reddit posts downplaying sexual assault and a tattoo with Nazi associations that he has covered and apologized for, while Warren’s event targeted voters who have favored Mills, especially older women, with the primary less than two months away.