Oyster Farmer and US Marine Vet Graham Platner, 41.  He Served in Iraq and Afghanistan in Leadership Roles.

One of Numerous Signs at the NO KINGS DAY Rally Calling Out Collins for Doing Nothing to Stand up to Trump Authoriatism and Supporting RFK, Jr. as Secretary of HHS.

Will she or won’t she run?   That is the $64,000 question for many Maine voters. .  Ths blogger is among the many who hope Governor Mills  will step aside.and give a better candidate the opporunity to face off against the vulnerable Senator Collins (R) for the US Senate next year.

Senator Collins voted for anti-abortionist Chief Justice Kavanagh although his posiion on abortion was well-known. Recently she voted for anti-vaxer Secretary RFK, Jr..  His anti-science and anti-vaxer positions  likewise were well known.  Is the Senator an anti-abortion and an anti-vaxer advocae as well.  She won’t answer those questions.

Will the Governor run to oppose Senator Collins has been a question for many Mainers for months now.  Will Governor Janet T. Mills (D) oppose the highly vulnerable Senator Susan Collins (R) in her upcoming bid for re-election to the US Senate next year?  She has said she will make up her mind in November of 2025.  Why wait until then?

According to a report in the “Punchbowl News” yesterday, Governor Mills is in the process of interviewing  campaign managers for a potential Senate run.  According to the same report, she has been “flirting with a Senate run for months while other Maine Democrats have eagerly jumped in the race.”  That while the prima donna neophytes on her staff in Augusta remain moot on the subject and recently rude and intimidating beyond acceptable standards to this member of the press.  So much so that this blogger who had been a consistent supporter of Mills doesn’t trust her communications staff any longer.  She was an effective and respected attorney general during the previous administration of Trump ally Paul LePage. Her reputation as governor of Maine has been stellar. Butt it’s time for her to step aside so Maine can elect a Democrat who reflects all our progressive values in the nation’s capitol.

But her immature staff isn’t the only reason this blogger does not support Mills run for the US Senate next year.  She is 77 years old.  That is simply too “senior” to begin a new chapter in her career  in the rough and trumble world of DC.  Others this blogger has spoken with in the Greater Portland area believe she is too “moderate” to run for this post.  One of the biggest concerns of this blogger is that Governor Mills is not aggressive enough to wage the necessary campaign to defeat Collins in this environment..  “We need a fresh face in DC to represent us.  Not Mills,” said a woman recently.

That fresh face she was referring to is Graham Platner, the oyster farmer, from upstate Maine.  He also did four infantry tours in the Marine Corps; in leadership roles in Iraq and Afghanistan.  In a recent statement of his about his candidacy, he said:  “I”m not afraid to name an enemy.  The enemy is the oligarchy.  Its the billionaires who pay for it.  It’s the corrupt politicians – Republican and Democrat – who sell us out.  Mr. Platner than goes on to ask:  Why can’t we have Medicare for all?  Why are we funding Netanyahu’s genocide in Palestine?  Why are CEO’s more powerful than unions?”  In a promotional piece, Mr. Platner said that “Susan Collins is the most vulnerable Republican senator in the country.”  Democrats need to pounce on that opportunity – not give it away.

If it’s true as Punchbowl News reports that Mills is looking around for a campaign manager, then she’s putting the cart before the horse.  She hasn’t even identified the issues for her campaign against Senator Collins. But, the handwriting is on the wall.

This blogger formerly worked in Washington, DC for over 20 years; some of that time as a staff member for a US Senator from New England.  I have some experience and insights into that world.

For more background information on Graham Platner, please visit posts herein dated August 30, 2025 and September 3, 2025.  For a schedule of Mr. Platner’s town hall meetings  through this October, please go to post dated September 27. 2025