Graham Platner wins Maine Democratic Senate primary
Graham Platner clinched the Maine Democratic Senate nomination and will face Republican Sen. Susan Collins this fall. Platner, a progressive oyster farmer and political newcomer, prevailed after a campaign marked by multiple controversies and heightened scrutiny. The general election between Collins and Platner carries national importance because Collins's seat could be pivotal for control of the U.S. Senate.
JUST IN: Democrat Graham Platner will win the Maine U.S. Senate Democratic Primary. He will face Incumbent Republican Susan Collins in the November General Election.
100X better than Collins. She made women second class citizens.
Oh good, the guy who pretended to not know what a Nazi symbol is and told women they're responsible when they get raped is matching off against a Trump loving liar who has less backbone than a blobfish. Good luck, Maine.
He needs all the support now. Just don't fuck up again Platner and don't go Fetterman on us.
Kick her ass Kick her ass Kick her ass
Looking forward to TOTALLY normal replies here…
Vote blue no matter who. And Susan Collins should have been voted out years ago.
This is the definition of an unforced error.
Finally, an actual progressive candidate in Maine! The oligarchs are going to be out for blood, but Graham definitely has my support. 💙
For those of you that don't trust Platner yet. Trust in Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, who have both endorsed him. Platner also had an EXCELLENT interview on the Weekly Show Podcast with Jon Stewart. Please listen if you want to get to know our candidate better. -Maine voter
Let’s just hope he isn’t the next Fetterman. Good luck.
"I will be a Senator for the people who can't buy a Senator"
Amazing how many dems in the comments are trashing this guy. He's not perfect, who is, but if you keep waiting for the perfect candidate we're never going to take our country back.
Like I said 3 days ago bsky.app/profile/rivk...
Here we go 🙄 People just love to repeat history
Please lord, don't let this guy be another Fetterman.
There’s something hinky about this guy, my gut response has always been that he’s disingenuous
Whats done is done. It's time for Mainers to get behind him and defeat Collins in November.
Graham Platner please don't be a John Fetterman when you win.
If elected, can Senate Dems rein in a Nazi of their own? If not, Fetterman II with Mainers stunned that nobody told them this could happen.
I guess he was the Fetterman.
Excellent. Fuck that AIPAC hatchet job.
Cut all the bullshit and friendly fire. We need to elect every Dem! This shit is very fucking serious, and extremely important. Life or Death important. More important that your petty arguments against Platner. Regardless of what you think, we need Platner to win. It’s that fucking simple.
Gawd, it's like choosing between gonorrhea and syphilis.
A seat the Dems have been dying to steal forever and it’s left up to this trash heap.
He’s a nope and she’s a dope
I wish Democrats had a candidate with a less questionable background to bring forward If Platner wins he will really have to earn the trust and respect while in office We don't need another Fetterman or Sinema or Manchin We need Representatives with strength to protect US from fascist Rethuglicans
The republicans and worse, the centrist and corpo dems have done serious damage to the party by convincing so many that any candidate that is not one of their ilk is only going to flop over and become a republican. Even when there is no evidence of it.
I dont trust this guy, ya'll shoulda backed Jan Mills instead
Chuck Schumer backed Janet Mills. Bernie Sanders backed Platner. The people chose the outsider. Yes, Platner has baggage. But Collins voted for the Iraq War, Kavanaugh, and Trump's tax cuts. Maine voters are angry. And they just sent a message!!
Meh. Glad I don’t have to vote in Maine.
Of you can't trust the nepo baby mercenary misogynist with the nazi tattoo, who can you trust? 🙄
12,100 Democratic Maine Nazis picked a Nazi. Yikes. America really is crumbling before our eyes. Fucking disgusting.
bloody hell. What's the matter with Dems!!
Good, It's ridiculous how much effort was put into trashing him. I saw enough of how *sr**l got Massie! I can almost put money on it that was who was behind all the BS about Planter.
So the Dems of Maine aren't serious..They put up a nazi and expect the country to be ok with this..Maine dems are nazi sympathizers..thats the best Maine can do, it appears..Fuck Maine, not a penny..
I mean...ugh. Ugh. But also...good. But still ...ugh.
I think it's good that the Wall Street liberals' smear campaign failed. We can have someone in the Senate who supports both labor and reform, despite what the capitalists want. Platner's wife is fine with him, so are all but one of his ex-girlfriends (she sounds like a whiner), and so am I.
I’m still a little down on Jon Stewart for the way he treated Biden, but I think everyone should watch his interview with Platner. I’m impressed with him. Seeing a guy whose views mirrored the views of most of the men I knew in the late 70s/early 80s, evolve, gives me a great deal of hope.
You have hundreds of millions of people in your country, and this is the best you can do?
You can't polish a turd.
it's time for collins to move on - hopefully platner turns out to be a truly repentant man and serves maine well.
Susan Collins has to go. Let's get this done, Maine!
Woe is Maine either way.
Who did nazi that coming? Time for a write in campaign?
Enjoy the neonazi ex mercenary, Maine.
I’m tired of Susan “I’m so concerned” Collins. After supporting Fetterman I have doubts about Platner. What an effin mess our federal government is.
Hard to tell them apart.
Is that the guy with the Nazi tattoo?
Funny how I received a news highlight from NYTimes saying ‘Platner wins Primary despite past concerns’ WTF ‘Past concerns’ Jesus Christ the GOP has no concerns about a candidates past and present behavior
Boring Democrats win. Guys like this are a liability. Who's the fat one from PA that had a stroke or something and went full MAGA? Very similar
So I guess they really hate Collins!
Better than Collins, if only by the fact that being a Republican is an automatic dealbreaker. But G-D everything. If this guy turns out to be another Fetterman I am saying fuck it and giving up on this country. Both parties going for dudebro assholes is not a net positive.
Based on a lot of these responses…America deserves what’s happening!!!
It’s already fun watching Dems get behind the candidate.
This mofo better not go Fetterman on us...
He's another Markwayne Mullin. All bluster, no experience.
But the storm of feral weirdos here on bluesky said yada yada yada.
Good thing you have to live in Maine to vote for him. Go kick Collins ass
My feelings about this are . . .
no doubt susan is concerned. will her last few months in the senate be spent defending pedophiles and criminals? basically business as usual.
You all witnessed a major bot operation on this site for the past 2 weeks. If Bluesky posts were to be believed LaFamme would have received thousands of votes. End result? 396 VOTES! Mills? 19,850. Platner? Nearly 72,000! Now go get that Maine Senate Seat.
There's STILL a lot of bots here
"Major bot operation" You sound exactly like MAGA. Are you still acting like you haven't spent the last few months white washing Platner and giving zero platform to any of the other candidates? Mask off!
mills being the sitting democratic governor, this rout is seismic. mainers want democrats that will challenge the party to do better for people and just not slink by with feeble measures.
Psst. He’s running against Susan Collins. Just fyi.
Clearly none of those complaining here about Platner live in Maine or he wouldn’t have won by such a large margin in his own state. Things in the real world are not always as they might appear online. Who would have thunk it? 🤣
This is what happens to every Dem candidate. You seemed surprised, and incensed when it happens to one you like. Cut the hypocritical, self-righteous crap.
the guy doesn't have red flags, he IS a red flag. i think people saying they don't trust him is perfectly reasonable and it's pretty naive to write them off as a "major bot operation." i don't really think the first political position for people who need to build trust is the senate tbh.
Wouldn't it be more reasonable to assume the excess LaFamme support on this website corresponded to humans who are not Maine residents, rather than bots?
Whatever your view of Platner, if you have any interest at all in political rhetoric, you should watch his speech tonight. Starts around time 2:35 of this @apnews.com video. www.youtube.com/live/_VlTUMA...
that's cute, too bad everything he says is bullshit
I watched. Impressive. Strong, inspiring. No euphemism or mealy-mouthed politispeak. A barn burning progressive manifesto for action. A fighter. Maine will have a stark choice come November.
I’m still watching. I hope the Democratic Party is paying attention to who keeps winning people energizing elections like this.
100%. Brilliant, Obama level orator. Who wrote this? His delivery was electrifying.
I thought it was the best political speech I've ever heard - both on content and delivery. Almost impossible to believe that this guy was a private citizen a year ago with ZERO political experience. Particularly amazing given the stress of the race!
"susan collins is only bi-partisan when it doesn't matter..."
Imagine a world where we didn't have to listen to these self serving give speeches. Would be amazing. They could just shut the f**k up and work on policy that helps the citizens and we could find our entertainment elsewhere. No desperate need to imbibe rhetoric like mother's milk.
good speech sure hope he can rid us all of Senator Collins
Did you all finally get your great white hope?
What's he got to say about ppl considering nazi tattoos?
i'm listening to this guy and goddamn i want to believe...
Why? I respect you, read your books in college but leading a people, being responsible for the welfare of others requires more than rhetoric.
So, how are the Dems supposed to complain about a drunk womanizer who also assaults women? What's the new line for conduct that Dems complain Republicans tolerate, but now we have Platner as the Dem nominee? Just want some guidance on what conduct I can be appalled by. No more "believe women?"
“...to earn your faith, trust, and support” — shouldn’t he already have done that? Nevertheless, if I lived in Maine, I’d vote for him, but not joyfully.
A compelling speech. A refreshing populist perspective. He’s assuaging many of my doubts.
for starters, great warm-up music!
So many pro-plainer accounts on here that look less than organic. Curious.
i'm sure if i click on the link i'll have to mute my laptop, as some raspy voiced man will be shouting at me across a crowed bar or a some imaginary trenches something about redemption and how much more money he'll bring to maine than susan can as the chair of appropriations please, do summarize it
maine is the alabama of the north
watching the platypus lose by double digits will be the latest in the ongoing series “tankies ratfucking everything” starring saint bernard and mother meemaw
Wonderful speech. Platner is a wonderful talent. Let’s hope we have another AOC. Having fun blocking all the crazy haters. Some of them are just awful. Shudder.
BREAKING: Graham Platner is the official Democratic nominee for US Senate in Maine, winning by 50+ points. He ran on an unapologetic platform of universal healthcare, labor rights, Indigenous sovereignty, no AIPAC or corporate PACs, condemned the genocide in Gaza, & condemned the war in Iran. 1/2
Polling already has Platner up nearly 10 points on Collins. He won the primary by more than 50 points over Mills, the sitting Governor. He is everything they are not, proving once more that Progressive worker focused polices WORK. Let's flip Maine Blue and retired Collins permanently. ❤️✊🏽 2/2
He ran on it but I don't trust him to actually implement any of it considering he is a proven Nazi at this point.
Americans love their white men
It's truly amazing how some otherwise intelligent, discerning, and decent people are thoroughly bamboozled by an ex-Blackwater mercenary and inveterate liar with Nazi tattoos who man-handles and imprisons his partners and loves bigoted slurs, among many other transgressions.
<20,000 people picked a Nazi and a misogynist. Nazis always act like Nazis. Don’t be surprised when betrayed. He’s not a savior, he’s a Nazi.
Qasim, while I agree with what Platner ran on, I don't understand how people can just hand-wave away all the red flags this guy gives off. You know I support you as an activist and friend, but I don't understand how you can be all in on this guy, what with everything that's come out on him.
Good! He’s gotta take Collins‘ seat
Maine Democrats nominate a Nazi! That will be a stain on the Democratic party that we will never live down. A Nazi. I mean, really, let that sink in. Democrats nominated a fucking Nazi.
He bears the scars of forever wars.
Schumer & Gillibrand react to the Maine primary result: “In November, Maine voters will elect Graham Platner, and we will win a Senate majority.”
New Janet Mills statement tonight on primary doesn’t mention Platner. She has not endorsed him in the general election. I asked her in mid-April if she’d support Platner if he were to win; she said: “I’ve always been a Democrat. I’ve always supported the Democratic candidate.”
It's interesting how much more supportive they are of a guy with a fucking Nazi tattoo than a Muslim mayor in their own state and city.
The voters in Maine who backed Platner do not have bsky accounts. This social media platform has a limited reach. Remember: social media is not the real world.
@grahamformaine.bsky.social has won his primary election for Senate in Maine. The choice in Maine is clear. Graham has built one of the most exciting grassroots movements in the country by bringing together working people around a bold vision.
Fucking shameful to be glazing a domestic abuser with a Nazi tattoo like this. Like maybe he's the lesser evil compared to Collins but come *on*.
Making life affordable, taking on corporate power, and building a government that works for the many, not the few. Susan Collins continues to empower Donald Trump and protect a broken status quo. Graham has shown he unites working class voters and delivers the change Mainers are demanding.
I am deeply concerned about his Nazi tattoo, his use of antisemitic and ableist language, and his reported treatment of women. I encourage you to withdraw this endorsement.
Ooooof… are you required to endorse Platner or was this a conscious choice to promote him?
Gross. Gross that you endorsed him with his fascist sympathies and history of abuse and of the delight he took in killing people as a Blackwater mercenary. You fell for him telling you he was progressive while failing to demonstrate progressive ideals in his words and actions from the past to today.
so is he not a Nazi domestic violence guy or what
We can build a movement without nazis thanks
This is going to end badly.
Not sure this is it
Yuck. Can’t believe you all supported him over LaFlamme. Shameful.
Endorsing Platner is a choice. I am SO disappointed but I appreciate yall telling me who you are.
Maine seems like a really nice place. I can’t believe the election will be between two such undeserving and unlikeable people. But then again, Americans voted the most vile, stupid, greedy, racist imbecile as their president and there is no one more undeserving and unlikeable as him.
Oh lookie here! The Working Family’s Party has gotten a scum bag Nazi posing as a democrat. You people suck. I used to give you money and do calls. But you sold out and look like shite! ROT IN HELL!!
How is this endorsement different than those who endorsed Trump the first time? Have we learned nothing?
And here I thought your organization cared about people. How very disappointing.
Well it was expected he would win, but can he stay out of trouble the whole rest of the way?