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Unlike Maine's Governor, Platner Does Not 'Appreciate Everything Susan Collins Has Been Doing'
The US Senate candidate's comments came after Maine's Democratic governor expressed appreciation for the Republican senator.
Sep 09, 2025
Democrat Graham Platner, an oyster farmer running to unseat Republican US Sen. Susan Collins in Maine, isn't pulling any punches when it comes to the incumbent's record—unlike the state's governor, Janet Mills, who may also enter the 2026 race.
Mills on Monday confirmed that she is still "seriously considering a run" for Senate, according to News Center Maine. She said, "Every day I pick up the newspaper and I read the headlines and I watch the news, and there are a lot of very disturbing things going on in Washington."
Asked whether Collins—who sometimes votes against her party, but falls in line when her vote actually matters—has done enough to push back against things like US President Donald Trump's tariffs, Mills said: "She's in a tough position. I appreciate everything she is doing."
Platner struck a much different tone. Responding to the reporting on social media Monday night, he said, "I do not appreciate everything Susan Collins has been doing."
Welcoming Platner's retort, Jonathan Dean, a lawyer and solar energy entrepreneur running in Illinois' crowded Democratic primary race for US Senate, said, "This is more like it."
On Tuesday, Semafor congressional bureau chief Burgess Everett asked Collins about Mills' comments. The Republican senator said she was "delighted" to hear Mills' remarks and that "the governor and I have always had a good relationship."
Platner weighed in again, saying, "Susan Collins and I have never had a good relationship."
His responses align with what the US military veteran said in the video launching his campaign last month: "I did four infantry tours in the Marine Corps and the Army. I'm not afraid to name an enemy, and the enemy is the oligarchy."
"It's the billionaires who pay for it, and the politicians who sell us out. And yeah, that means politicians like Susan Collins," he continued. "I'm not fooled by this fake charade of Collins' deliberations and moderation."
"The difference between Susan Collins and Ted Cruz," he added, referring to a Republican US senator from Texas, "is at least Ted Cruz is honest about selling us out and not giving a damn."
Platner has already secured support from a key progressive in the chamber: Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). The pair joined Troy Jackson, who is running to replace term-limited Mills as governor, for a rally in Portland, Maine on Labor Day as part of Sanders' Fighting Oligarchy Tour.
"We need senators in Washington who are prepared to take on the billionaire class and fight for working people," Sanders said in his endorsement of Platner. "He's a Mainer through and through, and he is building a movement strong enough to take on the oligarchy that is making Maine unaffordable for all except a privileged few. I look forward to Graham joining me in Washington."
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Sanders, Mamdani Bring 'Fighting the Oligarchy' Tour to Brooklyn
Sanders blasted Democratic Party leaders for withholding their support from Zohran Mamdani
Sep 07, 2025
U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) has been crisscrossing the country on his Fighting the Oligarchy Tour, a series of fiery town halls meant to rally progressive voices from coast to coast. On Saturday night, the movement came home for Sanders, as he returned to his alma mater, Brooklyn College, to share the stage with New York City mayoral hopeful Zohran Mamdani in a packed town hall that echoed with calls for change.
Watch Saturday night's rally here:
Sanders blasted Democratic Party leaders for withholding their support from Zohran Mamdani, hailing Mamdani instead as “the future of the Democratic Party.”
“I find it hard to understand how the major Democratic leaders of New York state are not supporting the Democratic candidate,” Sanders said. “If a candidate started at 2% in the polls, gets 50,000 volunteers, creates enormous excitement, gets young people involved in the political process, gets nontraditional voters to vote, Democratic leaders would be jumping up and down!”
“So we’ve got another fight on our hands,” Mr. Sanders said. “And that is the future of the Democratic Party.”
Sanders and Mamdani turned their fire on Donald Trump’s agenda and the wealthy donors bankrolling efforts to derail Mamdani’s campaign. Sanders warned that America’s richest wield far too much influence, casting the mayoral race as “a test case of whether or not democracy can prevail.”
Sanders highlighted that Mamdani’s rising popularity—and the White House’s backlash—were signs of a progressive wave gaining unstoppable momentum.
“What they fear is Mamdani becoming a model for what could sweep across the country,” Sanders told the cheering supporters.
New York faces the clearest choice of this election year:Zohran Mamdani and Bernie Sandersv.Andrew Cuomo and Donald Trump
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— John Nichols (@nicholsuprising.bsky.social) September 6, 2025 at 10:48 PM
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Sanders' Fighting Oligarchy Tour Headed to NYC for Town Hall With Mamdani
"When we stand together, we can defeat authoritarianism and create an economy that works for all our people, not just the privileged few."
Sep 03, 2025
On the heels of a Labor Day rally in Maine with Democrats running for governor and US Senate, Sen. Bernie Sanders announced Wednesday that his Fighting Oligarchy Tour is headed to New York City for a town hall with mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani.
Sanders (I-Vt.) endorsed Mamdani ahead of the Democratic Party's June primary, in which he bested scandal-plagued former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Since then, deep-pocketed donors have aimed to defeat the democratic socialist. Cuomo remains in the race as an Independent, as does Mayor Eric Adams, who was elected as a Democrat. The Republican nominee is Curtis Sliwa.
The senator—who twice sought Democrats' presidential nomination—has stressed that Mandani faces "the entire establishment, the oligarchy, the billionaires coming down on his head, not only because he's demanding that the wealthy and large corporations in New York City start paying their fair share of taxes, they are worried that his campaign is an example of what can happen all over the country when you bring people together to demand the government that works for all of us and not just a few."
Sanders took aim at those same villains in his statement about the town hall, scheduled for 6:00 pm Saturday, September 6 at Leonard & Claire Tow Center for the Performing Arts in Brooklyn.
"At a time of massive and growing income and wealth inequality, we are building a strong grassroots movement to take on the billionaire class and corporate greed," he said. "The oligarchs are prepared to undermine democracy and spend tens of millions of dollars to buy elections. But candidates who stand boldly with the working class can—and will—beat them. When we stand together, we can defeat authoritarianism and create an economy that works for all our people, not just the privileged few."
Since launching the national tour earlier this year, Sanders and other progressive speakers have drawn more than 300,000 people to 34 rallies across 20 states, according to the senator's office. With the events, he hopes to not only mobilize organizers and voters but also inspire people to run for public office.
Mamdani has called Sanders "the single most influential political figure in my life," and highlighted how his example led to the mayoral candidate ultimately running for office. He currently represents the 36th District in the New York State Assembly.
"It is an honor to welcome Sen. Sanders to New York City as we fight against the corporate greed, billionaires, and corrupt politicians responsible for the affordability crisis," Mamdani said Wednesday, taking aim at President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly attacked and even threatened to arrest the candidate for mayor.
"While oligarchs and Donald Trump try to place their thumb on the scale of this election," Mamdani said, "we're laser-focused on the New Yorkers who built this city, call it home, and deserve a leader who will deliver dignity for all."
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