Platner Campaign Says Fundraising Up, Polling Lead Over Collins Holding, Despite Latest Smear Effort

Releasing new polling and fundraising data that has been gathered in recent days, Democratic US Senate candidate Graham Platner emphasized Wednesday that despite the latest wave of attacks by party consultants and the media, voters across Maine appear focused on "the cost of living and whether it still trusts" Republican Senator Susan Collins.

"This is a race against an incumbent losing her grip on the voters who put her there," said Platner. "Across the board—the poll numbers, the fundraising, the conversations with voters—all signs point in our favor."

On Tuesday and Wednesday, Public Policy Polling conducted a survey of 670 voters, and found that the presumptive Democratic candidate had the support of 49% of respondents, compared with 45% who backed Collins.

Six percent of voters said they were undecided, and those respondents largely voted for former Vice President Kamala Harris by a 23-point margin in 2024. They gave President Donald Trump a net -26 favorability rating, suggesting they're more likely to ultimately vote for Platner than the five-term Republican who cast decisive votes to help the president secure a right-wing US Supreme Court and has recently backed his invasion of Iran.

"Susan Collins is spineless and corrupt," said Platner on social media as his campaign released the internal polling results. "And in 153 days, we will defeat her."

The Maine Senate primary is being held on June 9. Platner's closest competitor, Gov. Janet Mills, suspended her campaign at the end of April after trailing him in polls and fundraising for months, making him the presumptive Democratic nominee.

The pollster surveyed Mainers after telling them about a former Platner campaign staffer's revelation over the weekend that the candidate's wife had told her about "sexually charged text messages" he sent to other women early in their marriage, an issue the couple says they worked through in counseling. The group also told voters that “critics say that Susan Collins used her position as US senator to help steer over $50 million in government contracts to her husband’s company."

When the voters were given the information, the four-point differential stayed the same, with Platner leading 48%-44%.

Platner said that over the past week, since the news broke about the couple's earlier marital struggles, the campaign has also "seen some of the strongest fundraising of the entire campaign."

Over four days following last Saturday, when the story set off a media firestorm, the campaign's fundraising was 17% higher than the previous four-day period.

It also saw an 18% increase in small-dollar donations overall, and a 27% increase in small-dollar donations that came from Mainers.

The campaign noted that media coverage on the ground in Maine this week tells a similar story to the one conveyed by the poll and the fundraising numbers.

On Tuesday, CBS News interviewed several voters who said the news about Platner's marriage and earlier controversies—none of which made a dent in polling for the candidate—would not change their voting plans.

A Maine resident named Anne Morrissey also told The Washington Post on Tuesday that she viewed the news of Platner's previous marital struggles as a "nothingburger."

"It's 2026," she said. "There are so many real problems."

Another voter, Tara Grady-Taylor, said the texting controversy “doesn’t change the amount of good he could do if he does the things he promises."

The Platner campaign described the message it is getting from Mainers as "steadfast."

"They care that you’re fighting for their hospitals, their wages, their housing, and their kids," said Platner. "This campaign has always been about the ideas that will move Maine forward and past a broken politics of the past—just what the electorate and this moment demands."

Key Platner supporters in Congress have also called for the media to remain focused on the issues facing working families across the country, such as the rising cost of living, healthcare, and massive economic inequality—all of which Platner has made central focuses of his campaign.

When asked by The Associated Press on Monday whether he still supports Platner, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) replied, "Of course. Why would I not?"

“People can’t afford healthcare. Can’t afford groceries. Can’t afford to put gas in their cars," said Sanders. "And I think it might be a good idea if we focused on the important issues facing the working families of Maine and this country."