Mainers Want Fresh New Faces to Repesent them in Washington, DC Such as Oyster Farmer and US Marine Vet Graham Platner, 41.
The University of New Hampshire today released its February Pine Tree State Poll, which shows that Graham Platner holds a 38 point lead in the primary.
The poll also fnds that Graham currently holds a 11 point lead over Senator Susan Collins in the general election, far outpacing Governor Mills in a head-to-head matchup with Collins, which found Mills only up 1 point.
“This poll shows not only that Graham is positioned to win the primary, but also is the strongest candidate in a head-to-head against Senator Collins,” said Campaign Manager Ben Chin. “Graham has spent the past 6 months crisscrossing this state — and these numbers reflect what we’re seeing and hearing on the ground: Mainers want change. The fact that an oyster farmer from Sullivan, Maine, went from a virtual unknown to polling ahead of the sitting governor and sitting senator in just six months is a testament to Graham and the incredible team of staff and volunteers powering this movement.
In the primary, Graham leads 64% – 26% over Governor Mills, a 38 point margin. This result also shows growth for Graham compared to October 2025 when he led by 34 points. Much of that growth comes from formerly undecided voters who have broken for Graham.
In general election head-to-heads, Graham outperforms Mills by a wide margin against Collins. Graham leads Collins by 11%, whlle Mills is only up 1% on the incumbent. Graham holds an 11 point lead with Independents while Mills trails Collins by 6 among Independents.
Graham remains remarkably popular among the Democratic Primary electorate. 71% have a favorable opinion of him, compared to just 51% who have a favorability opinion of Governor Mills. Both Graham and the governor are well known among Democratic primary voters, with just 4% reporting they do not know enough about both candidates.
Born in Blue Hill and raised in Ellsworth and Sullivan, Graham is a lifelong Mainer. After High School, Graham enlisted in the US Marine Corps and served three deployments to Iraq. He returned to America and used the GI Bill to attend George Washington University, But when he saw some of the people he served with get deployed to Afghanistan, he realized his time in uniform was not over. He enlisted in the Army National Guard and was soon deployed to Afghanistan. Eventually Graham was drawn back home to Maine by his desire to serve his community of Sullivan, Maine. He started working on an Oyster Farm on Frenchman Bay. He eventually took over the farm and had built it into a successful and well-known small business in the community. He also serves as Sulllivan Harbormaster and Sullivan Planning Board Chair.
Graham lives in Sullivan with his wife Amy, just three doors down from the house where he grew up.