The fact that Graham Platner is apparently leading Gov. Mills in the Maine primary is ageism out of control

[dsc]

Mills is the governor of Maine and in that role has repeatedly stood up to Trump, something that everyone claims to want. Platner has a NAZI tattoo, called gays the f word, denigrated rape victims, and has no apparent qualifications for senate. I don't care if Eve is Mills midwife, she is the obvious choice.

[tritsofme]

1. Have there been any polls released since he revealed his Nazi tattoo to the world?

And voters heard about his litany of racist, misogynist, and anti-LGBTQ rants?

It would have been understandable for voters to pick a fresh face before it was apparent that he is a fatally flawed candidate with Nazi problems. Now his campaign is in a death spiral.

[leftstreet]

2. Isn't it still coming from that one poll?

not sure

edit: no it looks like 2 polls now

[womanofthehills]

71. AI lists 4 polls with Mills leading in one of the four

Looks like young progressives are for Platner and Seniors and college educated women are for for Mills.


### Key Recent Polls (Democratic Primary):
- **University of New Hampshire Survey Center (UNH)** (Oct. 16–21, 2025; n=506 Democratic likely voters; ±4.3% MOE): Platner 58%, Mills 24%, undecided 14%, others 4%. *Conducted mostly before the tattoo revelation.*

- **National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC)** (Oct. 22–23, 2025; n=647 Democratic likely voters; ±3.5% MOE): Platner 46%, Mills 25%, Jordan Wood 3%, undecided 26%. *Post-controversy; Platner favorables at +50 among Democrats.

- **Informed Ballot** (Oct. 21–25, 2025; n=500 likely voters; unstated MOE): Unprompted—Platner 36%, Mills 41%, undecided 20%. Prompted on tattoo—Platner 29%, Mills 59%. *Shows controversy impact, with Mills leading among older voters, women, and college grads.*

- **Emerson College Polling** (Oct. 21–23, 2025; n=935 likely voters; unstated MOE for primary subsample): Platner 47%, Mills 31%, Wood 3%. *Post-controversy crosstabs not detailed publicly.*

### Prediction Markets (as of Oct. 24–25, 2025):
- **Kalshi**: Platner 53% chance of winning primary (up 27 points in a day), Mills 43%.
- **Polymarket**: Platner 56% chance (up 30 points in two days), Mills 41%.

[leftstreet]

73. Thanks

Thanks for posting those

It's interesting, given that Mills only announced a couple days before the first poll started gathering.

It'll be interesting to see if/how/when polls change

[Fiendish Thingy]

3. They aren't the only choices

There 1 or 2 others running for the Dem nomination, and the primary is several months away.

Nothing says voters must choose between two weak candidates.

[dsc]

8. The woman has won nearly every race she has been in

Last edited Sat Oct 25, 2025, 04:16 PM - Edit history (1)

losing only two. But I know she is old, which is apparently the biggest crime on earth now.

[Fiendish Thingy]

19. Not the biggest crime, but age is indeed a very important factor for voters to consider

Also, She is pro-filibuster, which means continued gridlock and no chance at expanding the court to dilute the current corrupt fascist majority, or to pass legislation undoing the damage of the Trump era.

Just because she is the best known candidate doesn’t mean she is the best choice.

[Fiendish Thingy]

22. There are five other candidates besides Mills and Platner

And surely numerous others better qualified who could jump into the race with plenty of time before next June’s primary.

Voters don’t have to choose between the two with the most name recognition.

[leftstreet]

25. Meh. In today's climate, does it matter?

Qualified to serve vs qualified to win

Like it or not, that's where we are

[Fiendish Thingy]

29. Anyone under 60

Who doesn’t have Nazi tattoos, Reddit posting scandals, and is willing to kill the filibuster and expand the court.

[Fiendish Thingy]

51. I'm 68 myself

We’ve seen for too much inertia and business as usual from congress, especially the senate, having a high percentage of geriatric members.

I picked the age of 60 arbitrarily; my point is, surely Dems can do better than a 79 year old pro-filibuster centrist?

If a young, populist candidate with serious flaws has attracted this much buzz, attention and support, then imagine how far we could go with a young populist candidate without serious flaws or scandals.

Eight months out from the primary, voters don’t have to settle for the candidate with the best name recognition.

There is plenty of time to recruit a qualified candidate who will fight and win.

[BannonsLiver]

91. According to reality based Wikipedia Mills is 77 not 79.

[Midwestern Democrat]

95. If she's elected, she'll be 79 on the day she's sworn in as a Senator - the oldest first year Senator ever. NT

[BannonsLiver]

106. Great. But that's not right now. Right now she's 77.

[travelingthrulife]

94. We can't afford another Fetterman or Sinema or Manchin.

Just please vet these people carefully.

[jaymac]

35. Shenna Bellows,

Matt Dunlap......also Jordan.............need I mention others?

[Easterncedar]

45. Bellows is running for Governor, I believe

[jaymac]

46. you are right of course

but she'd be better than Mills in the senate

[marcopolo63]

57. Bellows already ran against Sue Collins

in 2014 and lost badly. The Governor’s race is the one she can win!

[Easterncedar]

63. But no hope in either campaign

She stood up to the pedo. But she’s female.

[littlemissmartypants]

32. Did you intend to leave out the "won" ? ❤️

Ageism affects the young, too. Children have been disenfranchised forever. It's all just discrimination.

Seniors, children, women, black, brown, LGBT+, et. al.

We just suck at being inclusive now, apparently.

[dsc]

48. nope

I had thought she had won all her races and found out she hadn't so my edit was sloppy.

[jaymac]

34. old and

one of the "third way" democrats who thought they were hot tickets in the 80's. That has been the downfall of the Democratic Party.
he is surely as qualified as Mills or Jordan.........my guess is, his life experience has taught him how to tell a liar from a truth teller. and that is something Collins has no grasp of. In this age of everything you've ever said on social media is subject to intense scrutiny even what you wrote as a callow young man cannot the only criteria a man is judged by. I found ole Charlie Kirk much more offensive, not to mention the last batch of more recent "young" republicans revelations.
being old is not the biggest crime......but Mills does not deserve to win or place.

[dsc]

41. So when and how did he go from being callow to someone we should vote for

He was a full fledged adult when he posted much of that.

[soldierant]

49. I don't know how he got there,

but I do know that converts are often more devout that many people who have held the same beliefs all their life. And that this is apparently true outside of religion. See Eric Hoffer's book "The True Believer." it's not new, but neither is the phenomenon, and Hoffer explains it better than anone else I've seen.

[dsc]

68. Don't you think voters want and deserve some answer to this

that isn't trust us.

[soldierant]

116. Oh, absolutely.

But there may well be a good answer. I just wouldn't write him off just yet.

[mcar]

87. So the white man with the Nazi tattoo and hateful words

has learned from his "youthful errors" (in his 30s), but the highly successful woman can never be forgiven for opinions she may have held in the 80s?

Got a couple "isms" going there, IMO.

[womanofthehills]

67. She is very establishment and not as anti war as he is

Also, almost twice his age. Seems like those who are very outspoken about the genocide are doing better in the polls. In many polls he is polling way ahead of her. If the young show up to vote, the more progressive candidate often does better. Interesting to see if his tattoo affects the current polling.

[sheshe2]

77. His "tattoo" resembles the Nazi SS Totenkopf.

He also has more to explain with his vile LGBTQ slurs, some of which were posted a few years ago.

Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner admits using ‘indefensible’ antigay slurs in unearthed Reddit posts

https://www.advocate.com/politics/graham-platner-homophobic-posts

[karynnj]

108. He joined Blackwater (under a new name)

That is not like someone who joined the military for patriotic reasons. AFTER fighting in the military and coming back to go to college, he became a mercenary. How can you say he more antiwar than others without ignoring much of his past.

[karynnj]

115. I don't think candidates go through a betting process

I think that people like Bernie should do more to vet people before endorsing them. I think the primaries are the normal process of vetting

I believe it is typical for a campaign to do opposition research on itself to know what is findable. Here, this was either the media or another candidate.
.

[Wiz Imp]

113. Many polls? Platner supporters don't do themselves any favors by exaggerating like this.

There haven't been "many" polls of this race. ONE poll had him polling "way ahead of her"

And the one and only poll of the general election so far showed Mills with a 5% lead over Collins, while Platner was tied - and that was before all of the negative info surfaced about Platner.

https://perfectunion.us/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/More-Perfect-Union_-Maine-Senate-General-Election-Benchmark-Poll.pdf

[Wiz Imp]

121. I think the polling period started before the news of the tattoo came out

but ended after the news came out. So a small portion of respondents may have heard about it prior to responding to the poll, but the majority most likely had not.

[Torchlight]

119. What is the standard measure of "very establishment?'

Also, interesting to see how many will ignore his tattoo as something other than what it is.

[eShirl]

17. there were 8, one dropped out

[pnwmom]

42. The strongest additional candidate, a woman, has now endorsed the former Governor. nt

[Fiendish Thingy]

53. Eight months out from the primary, there is no need to anoint a presumptive nominee

Plenty of time to recruit a better candidate who will support killing the filibuster in order to expand the court and save democracy.

[RandomNumbers]

99. Ranked Choice Voting will apply for this primary, correct?

If I'm correct, I would propose that anyone familiar with that fact, mention it whenever they post about this race. It's a game-changer.

Are polls taking RCV into account? (not sure if or how they would, haven't thought about it much yet since my state doesn't have it, sigh)

[karynnj]

109. At this point probably not as it greatly complicated everything

Now in the UNH poll, he was over 50 so it wouldn't matter, but that poll 's earliest responders probably did not hear any of these negatives and might not even be aware that Mills was running.

From what I have seen of RCV, I suspect that he would be the second choice of very few because of his bad negatives. I also suspect that over the next several months, people originally for him might align themselves with someone new. I also think that the strongest candidates will each be polled against Collins. That could have major impact.

[MichMan]

4. The Sanders endorsement may mean something to primary voters

Some have spent months extolling his virtues, so not surprised about the polling.

[thought crime]

64. By apologizing, explaining, and changing the tattoo?

This isn't Hegseth, charging along with unchanged beliefs. Platner has said many things that reflect progressive beliefs.

[sheshe2]

78. He has...

Platner has said many things that reflect progressive beliefs.

And he has also said things that is against everything our party stands for. He is no progressive.

[thought crime]

81. Or is he just Too Progressive?

I suspect Platner may be running into a lot of flack because he is too progressive for some. Oh well.

[betsuni]

82. What would be "too progressive" exactly? I'm not familiar with him. Policy? Something else?

[thought crime]

83. If you listen to his political speech from way back before Mills entered. A month or two ago.

He sounded like a pretty progressive candidate. Bernie Sanders endorsed him. Somebody called him the "Mamdani of Maine". Now it's knives out from the usual suspects.

[betsuni]

89. Oh, so you mean now that it turns out he's not so progressive, former supporters have "knives out."

[thought crime]

96. No, that's not what I meant at all.

For the most part, the people attacking him are not former supporters. They are the usual suspects. To find out what his political positions are you have to go back before all the controversy began (just after Mills announced).

[EX500rider]

97. Yes, nothing says "Progressive" like a SS Death Camp Guard tattoo on your chest for 18 years. nt

[Jersey Devil]

5. Give it time. Mills just entered the race which is't til next June

Platner built his lead when Mills appeared uninterested in the race and before all his stumbles surfaced. Everything needs time to stew and settle and then we discuss it much more intelligently.

[CBHagman]

7. Thank you!

Eight months is an eternity in politics.

[sheshe2]

12. Thank you.😊

[Raven123]

31. Exactly. Platner has been running for Senate. Mills was not

Now that’s they are both candidates, we will see. IMO way too soon to assert ageism.

[hlthe2b]

6. Given some of the comments seen even on DU, count me unsurprised. Better a NAZI-devote' who is young, white, male

than an almost 78-year-old female in apparent good health and mind (I shouldn't have to remind some how differently statistically men and women age, but I digress), who has given her adult life to public service.

Might we go with someone younger who had likewise committed to years of public service and experience if they were in the primary? Maybe. But one with the baggage of this NAZI tattoo-bearer who likewise has said the most revolting things about women, downplayed rape, and gender equality?

If we do, how are we different from the MAGA women-hating NeoNazis? Do tell?

[Renew Deal]

18. She should drop out and give Jared Wood and better chance

[hlthe2b]

24. What's his story...?

Can he beat Platner to win the primary? Can he beat Collins?

[cliffside]

66. Not a Maine resident but I looked the other day ...

United States Senate election in Maine, 2026 - The candidates who have raised at least 100k
https://www.democraticunderground.com/100220744517

https://electjordan.com/about/

"Jordan earned his degree from Calvin College and moved to Washington, D.C. to begin a career taking on the establishment and battling corruption. He served as Vice President of End Citizens United (ECU)–an organization dedicated to getting big money out of politics. At ECU, Jordan took on special interest groups and stood up to leaders and candidates, including in his own party. Jordan spearheaded the No Corporate PAC Pledge, a national effort to get members of Congress and candidates to disavow corporate PAC money as campaign contributions. Because of that work, today, 20% of Democrats in Congress refuse corporate PAC donations — up from just 1% when Jordan started.

"Jordan went on to serve as Chief of Staff to Congresswoman Katie Porter, known for taking on powerful Wall Street banks and powerful financial interests. He was on Capitol Hill, barricaded in the office with the Congresswoman, on January 6. He saw first-hand the crisis facing our democracy and understands the dangerous threat posed by far-right political extremists aligned with Donald Trump. He went on to co-found and lead democracyFIRST, a cross-partisan pro-democracy organization dedicated to combating growing threats to the free and fair administration and certification of our elections.

Jordan and his husband, Jake, moved home to Maine and settled in Bristol, where today, they are raising their daughter, Ella.

At a time when Washington needs leaders who are willing to take on bullies, stop corruption, and protect our democracy, Jordan Wood will be a Senator who stands up for Maine families like his–and yours..."

[dsc]

70. He seems like a good possibility

I am not sold on Mills, her filibuster position is close to a deal breaker for me to be honest. But a man who sported a NAZI tattoo for years and posted comments that will be beyond problematic in a general election race, isn't a good alternative. Jordan's position on the filibuster is the right one. I don't know if his being gay would be a problem in ME or not but I suspect it wouldn't be. He seems like a good alternative if he can gain traction.

[cliffside]

75. That was my thought as well, plus he wants to limit money in politics ...

which, as we know, is a Major reason we are where we are today. My thinking is we need to look beyond Platner, considering all that has been revealed, and see who else might be a candidate.

[MorbidButterflyTat]

27. Could be because

he has a penis.

[jaymac]

36. sorry peace wave

it's not a slap, Mills is too deep into corporate dem territory. she has said she's be a one term senator...big deal, I don't for one minute believe that!

[JI7]

69. It's not really about age but him being a white man

[thought crime]

74. If Susan Collins wins, we will have embarrassed ourselves.

Last edited Sun Oct 26, 2025, 12:31 AM - Edit history (1)

I think ageism is bad in the normal workplace and as a programmer I probably experienced it to some extent. But politics is a little different. We are betting on voters' perceptions and after Biden's debate debacle and the sad spectacle of Diane Feinstein's last days in the Senate, many voters have some legitimate concern about a "gerontocracy", and want a younger generation to be more represented. Is ageism a form of hate? I don't really know. But I do know I hate being old.

[2naSalit]

10. I've been...

Driving around the central part of the state quite a bit and I see more of his campaign signs than I expected to but he's the only one with yard signs so far. I saw a lot of "RESIST!" signs too, especially down by the shore. I went to Bar Harbor yesterday just so see how long it would take and to touch the ocean, it's been a while.Last time I touched the Atlantic was back in the late '90s and I was on Cape Cod that time.

I wonder how this will shake out with ranked choice and all. It's early..?

Can't register until I have my new ID and an appointment takes a while but I'm working through the process, I don't want to miss this.

[markodochartaigh]

14. In US politics

division not only works, it is one of the old standards of political campaigns.

If a politician or political party can campaign on division they can avoid talking about actual issues.

And in today's society, which is changing more rapidly than ever, age is one of the most effective ways to divide the population.

[thought crime]

76. It's happening here, too. Easier to talk about age or tattoos than their political positions.

[Torchlight]

120. Tattoos which reflect political position are easily ignored when needed.

"It's happening here, too..."

[Renew Deal]

15. The only thing obvious is that the establishment hasn't learned anything from 2016 and 2024

[mcar]

88. The only thing obvious is that "progressives" haven't learned anything

between 2016 and 2024. There, fixed it.

[JI7]

21. There is a huge backlash against feminists and lgbt right now

[MorbidButterflyTat]

26. Don't forget sexism!

[IronLionZion]

28. Are they polling just Dems or anyone?

A lot can happen between now and June 9, 2026. Other candidates could join the race or drop out. Maine has ranked choice voting for both the primary and general election.

[Wiz Imp]

33. It appears for the Democratic Primary they polled Registered Democrats, Green Party

and no party (independents). They did not poll registered Republicans, but some of the poll respondents did identify as Republicans. Those people chose Platner by a much larger margin than Democrats did (but his lead amongt Democrats was still very large).

Platner had a 60% favorable rating in this poll to just 8% unfavorable (amongst self identified likely Democratic Primary Voters). You can be sure those numbers will change significantly by the next poll.

[Wiz Imp]

30. There are currently 6 candidates running.

3 others had declared but have since dropped out. There are at least 4 others who may join the race:

Declared
Natasha Alcala: fashion designer
David Costello: former deputy secretary of the Maryland Department of the Environment, and nominee for U.S. Senate in 2024
Tucker Favreau: cybersecurity professional
Janet Mills: governor of Maine (2019–present)
Graham Platner: Sullivan harbor master
Jordan Wood: former chief of staff to U.S. Representative Katie Porter

Withdrawn
David Evans: former Department of Defense policy writer (endorsed Wood)
Dan Kleban: brewery owner (endorsed Mills)
Daira Smith-Rodriguez: former civilian contracting officer for the U.S. Air Force (endorsed Mills)

Filed paperwork
Andrea LaFlamme: adjunct professor at the University of Maine

Publicly expressed interest
Cathy Breen: former state senator from the 25th district (2014–2022)
Ryan Fecteau: speaker of the Maine House of Representatives (2020–2022, 2024–present)

Potential
Aaron Frey: Maine attorney general (2019–present)

Complete results of Poll released Thursday can be found here: https://scholars.unh.edu/survey_center_polls/897/

[betsuni]

38. Same made up Status Quo Establishment vs Progressive war to divide Democrats. Myth that old means conservative,

centrist, terrified of change, diabolically clinging to power, no concern about climate change and the future because they won't be here, wealthy and oblivious. Combine that with myth Democrats are corrupt. Erase an entire life and career of liberal public service. Kill the workhorses.

[betsuni]

47. Oh, that's consistency and authenticity. Totally different.

And being in Congress for decades doesn't make one part of the establishment. Somehow.

[Tarheel_Dem]

90. What you said!

[Joinfortmill]

39. Scary shit.

[Akakoji]

43. I'm solidly behind Platner

He will win. It's your opinion that she's the obvious choice to you. Not to every Mainer I've spoken with.

[nini]

59. The party is fucked when Nazi views are excused

This may be what makes me give up on it.

This isn't even up for debate in my opinion

[sheshe2]

79. Have you even researched his Reddit anti gay slurs?

If not, you should. He is not seeking a job at Target; he wants to become a United States Senator in the State of Maine.

[Easterncedar]

44. It's not all ageism

She has been a strong and decent governor, but Mills is very much a pragmatic centrist, not a progressive. She did have that “see you in court” moment, but she wasn’t trying to position herself as a leader of opposition, and did not intend to be seen as defending trans students. That role got thrust upon her.

She has very strong entrenched negatives. She is not universally admired. I wish I believed she could beat Collins. Maybe I am wrong and the blowback from the current horror show in DC will be enough to defeat Collins and sweep Mills in, but I would love to be able to support a genuine progressive.

[Samael13]

50. I'm not gonna get into the ageism debate

I get the dude said some shitty things and has that tattoo but has he changed from who he was when those things took place. Should he never be allowed that opportunity to show hes not the same person that did those things. If not then we will end up alienating alot of people .

[WhiskeyGrinder]

55. "Should he never be allowed that opportunity to show hes not the same person that did those things."

Not during a senate run, no.

[oldmanlynn]

52. I don't care as long as a Democrat wins

We can’t keep talking about who farted or who burped in the Democratic Party and not vote for them. You gotta go with the person who looks like they can win.

[marcopolo63]

58. Platner is a warrior!

He’s not perfect and the fact that he has made mistakes, even bad ones like these are things a modern soldier and jarhead might do! Everyone on this platform that hasn’t served, and has never made any mistakes of bigoted speech or sketchy behaviors of their own has no idea what it is to serve, especially in combat.

Platner is a decent person and has lived a good life, perhaps not as good a life as many of his detractors on this site have lead, but for the warrior that he is - a good, productive and community-oriented life.

Platner is a great candidate and I believe is THE BEST candidate to defeat Susan Collins in 2026!! Platner has my vote and my wife’s vote and Gov. Mills age has nothing to do with our choice to support him and his campaign.

[EdmondDantes_]

60. Perhaps given that information he knew the origins of his tattoo is coming out you will rethink that

https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/sure-sounds-graham-platner-knew-202926723.html?guccounter=1

I could have believed he didn't know the origins, but between him being a military history buff and allegedly describing it by the German name, I'm not willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

65. .

He’s not perfect and the fact that he has made mistakes, even bad ones like these are things a modern soldier and jarhead might do!

There are plenty of soldiers -- even Marines -- who serve, get drunk, raise hell, and simply do not get nazi tattoos about it. Why not run them?

Everyone on this platform that hasn’t served, and has never made any mistakes of bigoted speech or sketchy behaviors of their own has no idea what it is to serve, especially in combat.

A person doesn't have to serve in combat to know that getting a nazi tattoo, working for Blackwater and talking shit about minorities are fucked up moves and show a huge lack of discernment and common sense, over a long period of time.

Platner is a decent person and has lived a good life, perhaps not as good a life as many of his detractors on this site have lead, but for the warrior that he is - a good, productive and community-oriented life.

Could be! His sense of judgment is also for shit though! Not a great look for a senator!

[marcopolo63]

92. Why not run them?

Last edited Sun Oct 26, 2025, 07:43 AM - Edit history (1)

Who’s running who? Platner is stepping up to run, warts and all, and is willing to take the hits like the warrior he is. I don’t see any other warriors running, just politicians. This election I’m going with the warrior and not the life-long political veteran (Mills) or the SuperPac millionaire (Wood), or the other lesser known candidates.

The Dems need some Jack Reachers to run for higher office everywhere and not just purist Boy or Girl Scouts who toe the party line, are incrementalists and serve to perpetuate the corporate status quo. Platner has the energy, integrity, and strength of character to win and I think win big! His imperfections may be a glitch but are not a fatal defect as I see it.

In this race to decide who faces off against Sue Collins - in the primary I’m betting on Platner! I had my doubts originally and am trusting his words and actions now, versus perseverating on the mistakes he’s made over time, some that I consider abhorrent (as he does) and dumb, but that are IMHO not unforgivable because of the person he has become and is striving to be.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

102. "integrity and strength of character" yeah that's definitely what I think of when a guy suddenly demands that his

campaign staff sign NDAs

[marcopolo63]

103. Demand?

Not all NDAs are bad, and it matters what is covered in the agreement. I haven’t seen the language in the Platner campaign’s recent NDAs, but read they were issued as requests to his paid staff - who could refuse to sign. In the cut throat world of political campaigning - I get it that he doesn’t want to be cut down by his own staff if it can avoided! The Dem establishment apparatchiks are good at what they do, but if they turn coat - I think a NDA is at least a little protection perhaps from a dissenter! This too is not a deal breaker for me!

It’s not as if he

[betsuni]

110. "It's not a lie if you believe it" -- that fits.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

105. What would be a dealbreaker for you?

[betsuni]

80. Hysterics over OMG what if they die or get sick! Like when you're little and think about what if you were an orphan,

your mom dies, your whole life would change. Who would take care of you? Who would love you?

No no no, it's like when your kittycat dies and you go out and get another kittycat. There will always be another kittycat.

Also, the paranoia that the old guard is out to get them makes all the talk about being fighters and standing up to things seem pretty silly.

[Iggo]

117. Then they can replace her with someone who's alive.

I really don’t see the problem here.

[Jack Valentino]

72. I think it has more to do with the fact that she only just entered the race, while

Platner has been running hard for three months, and seemed to have caught fire
with Democratic voters in Maine---

and lot of those Democratic voters in Maine still haven't heard about the negative Platner stuff,
which only started coming out in the past few days, when these polls were already being taken....

However, 30-some percentage points is a hell of a lead for him to have
over a statewide vote winner, at this stage of the game...

I'm not any "ageism bigot", I vehemently supported President Biden
for renomination despite his age and possibly age-related flukes---
but there is a legitimate concern with her age that Mills might not survive
that one term in the Senate.... We've already had a lot of Democratic House members
die in office over the past few years from old age, often leaving their seats empty for extended periods....

There is likewise a legitimate concern over Platner's past,
and my initial enthusiasm for him has cooled over the past few day's revelations...

I myself had hoped that Gov. Mills could be persuaded to run for this Senate seat,
before Platner entered the race and seemed to catch fire!

Now I think it ought to be left up to the Democratic primary voters in MAINE,
which I am not one and suspect are few and far between on this forum....
and I think that 'outsiders' from Maine on this forum,
ought NOT to be attacking ANY of the DEMOCRATIC Senate candidates in Maine....

From the huge polling lead he seems to have established, it seems to me
that he may not be denied the nomination in the end, without a relentless negative campaign
against him, which would SPLIT the Democratic primary voters in Maine, and result in
another Senate term for 'concerned Susan Collins' !

[LetMyPeopleVote]

84. Here is some more recent polling that makes me smile

Link to tweet

[sheshe2]

93. Thank you, LMPV!

This makes me smile. A new poll AFTER she entered the race a week ago shows her in the lead. What a difference a poll can make!

[themaguffin]

100. In this case, at least with those 2, Mills seems like an easy choice. Let Platner prove himself on a smaller role first

that is if he's fit at all given what he said and the fucking tattoo.

[RandomNumbers]

101. Maine has Ranked Choice Voting

should be very interesting. Given there are several candidates, it is unlikely that anyone will win an outright majority in the first round. Mills may not be first choice for the majority, but she probably will do very well in subsequent rounds.

https://www.maine.gov/sos/sites/maine.gov.sos/files/content/assets/rcv-faq.pdf

[Wiz Imp]

114. People are ignoring the one poll of the general election so far.

It was a poll done by Zenith Research from October 7 thru 10 (so before all the negative info on Platner came out). It showed Mills with a 5% lead over Collins, while Platner was only tied.

https://perfectunion.us/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/More-Perfect-Union_-Maine-Senate-General-Election-Benchmark-Poll.pdf