PORTLAND, Maine — The search for a Democratic candidate to challenge Graham Platner has reached a dead end.
Governor Janet Mills attended the funeral of the late Representative Barney Frank in Boston, while many Democrats across the nation quietly hoped she would revitalize her Senate campaign against the embattled Platner.
Once the Democratic frontrunner for the Senate, Mills ended her campaign suddenly in late April, trailing the contentious oyster farmer by significant margins in several polls. Although Mills, 78, has stopped active campaigning, she recently reminded voters that her name remains on the ballot for Tuesday’s election, even as Platner’s campaign faces numerous misconduct allegations, including those from past relationships.
Despite the pressure, Mills chose not to restart her campaign, instead spending the night before the election at a funeral.
“People have the impression that I ‘withdrew’ or ‘dropped out,’ but I simply suspended active campaigning,” Mills told the Lewiston Sun Journal earlier this month. “I am still on the ballot.”
Ironically, Frank had supported Mills in her Senate bid and voiced concerns about Platner while in hospice care.
“I worry a little bit about the tendency on the Democratic side to fall for the flavor of the month,” Frank told Politico. “There is this flirtation or this attraction of people who are new and who are very good at articulating a response to the anger, but without talking about what you do about it.”
According to state law, candidates must officially withdraw 70 days before a primary, which was due by the end of March in this case.
“Mills sits vetted and scandal-free, with her only baggage being a list of accomplishments and a record of effective scorn for the president,” one Democratic operative noted, referencing the Maine governor’s confrontations with Trump’s executive actions.
Mills has refrained from endorsing any candidate in the Maine Senate race. Many of her allies have privately encouraged her to re-enter the race as Democrats remain anxious about Platner’s prospects in the general election.
The governor’s position on the ballot is seen as a potential indicator of a Democratic protest vote against Platner, who is currently the presumptive nominee.
“I think if Platner is anywhere in the 60s he’s in trouble in terms of support,” a Democratic operative aligned with Mills told The Post.
David Costello and write-in candidate Andrea LaFlamme are also in the running for the Senate seat but trail significantly behind Platner in most polls.
Mills ended active campaigning due to financial constraints and a considerable polling deficit.
With support from Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Mills began her campaign last October, months after Platner had initiated his. Critics argued that she entered the race too late to gain necessary momentum.
Since halting her campaign, Mills has made limited public appearances to highlight achievements, such as legislation to prohibit cellphones in classrooms, and to support dairy farmers.
There are growing doubts among Democrats about Platner’s ability to win against incumbent Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), a victory crucial to Schumer’s goal of regaining the Senate majority.
Platner currently leads Collins by 7.4 percentage points in the latest RealClearPolitics polling aggregate, but Collins has a track record of outperforming polls significantly.
Concerns persist that Platner might have undisclosed issues beyond what is currently known.
Recently, a bombshell report surfaced detailing disturbing past behavior towards his former girlfriends.
One former girlfriend, GOP operative Lyndsey Fifield, alleged that Platner pulled her from a cab by her wrists and twisted her arm behind her back before confining her in a room. Platner denies any physical aggression.
The New York Times, which reported the story, also examined past text messages where she described his Nazi tattoo before it was publicly acknowledged.
The skull and crossbones tattoo on his chest resembles a Totenkopf, or “death’s head” symbol used by the Nazi SS. Platner claims he acquired the tattoo while intoxicated in Croatia in 2007 and insists he was unaware of its Nazi associations.
Prior to these allegations, the Wall Street Journal reported Platner had been involved in sexting with other women while married. He married his wife in 2023.
Additionally, his Reddit posts include statements suggesting a Purple Heart veteran didn’t deserve to live, defending urinating on a dead Taliban body, and discussing inappropriate acts involving porta potties, among other issues.
