A few weeks ago, On Politics dove into the Maine Senate race, which features one of the most fascinating and consequential Democratic primary contests on the map. In that newsletter, I asked Maine readers how they were thinking through their choices — and they delivered.
Today I’m going to share a few takeaways, and I hope to do this again ahead of the June 9 primary. So to our Maine readers, if I haven’t gotten back to you yet, I will soon. Thanks to all who wrote in. Keep it coming! I’m at [email protected].
Before diving in, though, here’s a quick primer on where the race stands.
Senator Susan Collins, a Republican, is defending a seat she has held for three decades. The Maine race is a must-win for Democrats in their challenging quest to retake control of the Senate.
By virtually every measure — polling, fund-raising, large and exuberant crowds — Graham Platner, 41, a progressive oysterman, energetic campaigner and political newcomer, appears to have the momentum in the Democratic primary.
Gov. Janet Mills, 78, the favorite of the Democratic establishment, is running as a steady, experienced hand with a record of confronting the Trump administration. So far, though, she has struggled to catch fire.
Maine can be a tough state to poll, and Mills has nearly two months left before Primary Day. For now, there are two things everyone seems to agree on: This will be one of the most important general elections in the country — and an already contentious race could get far uglier.
With that, here’s what I learned from our readers:
‘Electability’ matters. But what does it mean?
Democrats have learned the hard way that defeating Collins will not be easy. Over and over, readers focused on the Democratic primary said they wanted to elevate the candidate best positioned to beat her. But there are competing theories on how to win.
Mills has cast Platner, who has a long history of inflammatory comments on social media, as a risky bet in a general election. Platner, who has apologized for many of those remarks, told me and my colleague Lisa Lerer recently that “it is far more risky to go with someone who’s been in politics for a very long time.”
“Graham Platner is the candidate who sings the song of those who don’t like what they see in Washington,” said Greg Rossel, 74, a builder and restorer of wooden boats from Troy, Maine. “This election won’t be a cakewalk for either candidate, but in my book, Platner is the only one who has the chance of beating Collins.”
By contrast, Tom Dyhrberg, also 74 and a retired lawyer, is evidence of a theory other Democrats have: that there are indeed voters who would be comfortable with Mills in a general election, but who see Platner as a bridge too far.
Dyhrberg, of Scarborough, Maine, said he had known Mills for years and would support her over Collins — but that he would back Collins over Platner if those were the options.
“Maybe he’d be a superstar. Maybe he has changed his views regarding sexual abuse of women, the challenges of minorities, rural Americans, etc.,” he wrote, alluding to some of the social media posts Platner has since disavowed. “Maybe as a newbie he’d quickly figure out how politics at the highest level works and govern effectively.”
But he added: “Maybe not. I’m not willing to take that chance.”
Lindsey MacMillan, 40, a nurse anesthetist, said this week that “as of today, I see Platner as having a better shot at beating Susan Collins,” and she is supporting him. But, she added, “As disheartening as it is, I’m not sure either will upset her almost 30-year incumbency.”
The age question is real.
After President Joe Biden’s re-election bid fell apart over concerns about his age and abilities, the demand for generational change among Democrats is palpable — and that is helping Platner.
Ann Leamon, 65, a writer from Waldoboro, called herself an “old Maine lady” for Platner, and noted that her nonagenarian mother agreed.
“He has the youth, energy, smarts, and vision to take the U.S. into a future that is open to everyone willing to work,” she wrote. “Perfect? No. But who is? He has learned and grown. And if you can’t do that, you’re dead regardless of your age.”
And Lila Kohrman-Glaser, 33, a Platner supporter from Portland who works in political advocacy, suggested that her experience canvassing and phone banking taught her that, to “independent voters who are dissatisfied with both parties and struggling to just get by, Janet Mills and Susan Collins look pretty similar.”
“Two older white ladies who have been in elected positions for decades while the reality on the ground for the average person has continued to get worse and worse,” she said.
But B. Ann Levine, 78, a retired educator with a home in Kennebunk, bristled at the idea that “people feel older officials deserve to be put out to pasture.”
“There is something to be said about experience and the wisdom that comes from it,” said Levine, who favors Mills. “Platner has never been an elected official. You want to give him a chance? Let him run for the House, not the Senate where his six-year term may seem like an eternity if he wins.”
So are the questions about character.
Last month, the Mills campaign released brutal attack ads that highlighted comments Platner made more than a decade ago about rape.
Some readers suggested that approach backfired.
“I will now vote for Platner,” said Lisha Wentworth, 66, of Bath, Maine. “I was on the fence, but I want to hear what a candidate can do for our state and how they will represent us at a federal level. I will determine character and if I can trust them with my own research.”
Several others expressed deep misgivings but suggested that his past remarks were not disqualifying.
Megan Dolan, 45, of Scarborough, called Platner a “hugely flawed candidate” and wondered if she was “entering a moral gray area” by supporting him.
“I do believe people can change and that today he is a decent, upstanding, well spoken guy, unafraid to punch bullies in the nose,” she said. “He can have a shot at defeating Collins, whereas Mills will certainly lose. It does require a bit of moral jujitsu to get to a yes vote on Platner for me, but ultimately, I will vote for him in the interest of giving Democrats more control in the Senate.”
Others were skeptical that Platner — who frequently finds himself apologizing for comments both old and recent — has really changed.
“I do not believe that someone who speaks about rape [victims] as if they were the guilty ones will ever be on the side of the true victim, the woman who was raped,” Levine wrote. “I cannot believe that someone who wore a Nazi symbol on his body will suddenly be tolerant of everyone. People said Donald Trump would learn his lesson and change. Do you see a change?”
number of the day
$60 million
That’s an estimate of how much Vice President JD Vance has raised to help the Republican Party in the midterms, as part of his unusual second job as the finance chair of the Republican National Committee.
That role, my colleagues Theodore Schleifer and Shane Goldmacher write, has allowed Vance to forge relationships with some of his party’s richest and most influential patrons. Those connections could be highly valuable if Vance pursues a widely expected run for president in 2028.
In One Graphic
In nearly all of the key Senate races, Democratic candidates raised more than Republicans, filings released this week show.
TAKE OUR QUIZ
This question comes from a recent article in The Times. Click an answer to see if you’re right. (The link will be free.)
Which politician boosted sales of their recent book with $1.5 million from their political action committee?
Taylor Robinson contributed reporting.
Katie Glueck is a Times national political reporter.
The post What You Taught Me About Maine appeared first on New York Times.
