Graham Platner
Graham Platner (Democratic Party) is running for election to the U.S. Senate to represent Maine. He declared candidacy for the 2026 election.[source]
Platner was born in Blue Hill, Maine.[1] After graduating from high school, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. He served three tours of duty in Iraq. After retiring from active duty, Platner attended George Washington University. He later enlisted in the Army National Guard and served another tour in Afghanistan.[2] Once his tour ended, Platner returned to Washington, D.C., where he worked as a bartender and later as a defense contractor for the State Department.[3][1][4] He later became an oyster farmer in Maine.[1]
Platner launched his candidacy for U.S. Senate on August 19, 2025. In his launch video, Platner said, "I’m not afraid to name an enemy. And the enemy is the oligarchy. It’s the billionaires who pay for it and the politicians who sell us out."[5]
GQ's Ross Barkan wrote that Platner was "a proud economic populist who bashes the oligarchy, supports single-payer healthcare, and wants to end all military aid to Israel... In a state that barely numbers a million people, many have already heard of Platner, and he’s won an endorsement from Bernie Sanders."[3] The Conversation's Prof. Nicholas Jacobs wrote, "Platner represents Democrats’ anxieties about class and geography – a projection of the authenticity they hope might reconcile their national brand with rural America. On paper, he’s the kind of figure they imagine can bridge the divide: a plainspoken Mainer."[6]
In the primary, Platner faced Gov. Janet Mills (D). Axios' Holly Otterbein wrote that the primary was an "out-and-out battle between the party establishment and its progressive wing."[7] Platner said of his campaign strategy: "There is a very tired playbook that the Democrats have run for a while where DC chooses establishment candidates that they base upon their fundraising capacity... in my opinion, we need to be doing something else. I mean, clearly that is a failed strategy."[4]
Elections
2026
See also: United States Senate election in Maine, 2026
General election
The general election will occur on November 3, 2026.
General election for U.S. Senate Maine
The following candidates are running in the general election for U.S. Senate Maine on November 3, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | Susan Collins (R) | |
| Natasha Alcala (D) | ||
 | David Costello (D) | |
 | David Evans (D) | |
 | Tucker Favreau (D)  | |
| Andrea LaFlamme (D) | ||
 | Janet T. Mills (D) | |
 | Graham Platner (D) | |
| Daira Rodriguez (D) | ||
 | Carmen Calabrese (R) | |
 | Daniel Smeriglio (R) | |
 | Phillip Rench (Independent) | |
| ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Jordan Wood (D)
- Dan Kleban (D)
Endorsements
Platner received the following endorsements. To send us additional endorsements, click here.
- U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (Independent)
- Track AIPAC
Campaign themes
2026
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
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Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
See also
2026 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 The New Yorker, "Can a Maine Oyster Farmer Defeat a Five-Term Republican Senator?," September 25, 2025
- ↑ The Guardian, "This Maine oysterman thinks Democrats are doing ‘jack’ about fascism. So he’s running for US Senate," August 24, 2025
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 GQ, "Marine Turned Oysterman Graham Platner Is Ready to Fight Trump. Will MAGA Men Join Him?," October 9, 2025
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Zeteo, "Meet the Disillusioned Veteran Who Thinks He Can Beat Susan Collins in Maine," August 19, 2025
- ↑ Maine Public Radio, "Graham Platner, veteran, oyster farmer, launches bid to topple Sen. Susan Collins," August 19, 2025
- ↑ The Conversation, "Why rural Maine may back Democrat Graham Platner’s populism in the Senate campaign − but not his party," November 13, 2025
- ↑ Axios, "Exclusive: Graham Platner goes after Janet Mills in first TV ad," October 14, 2025
