When Democrat Graham Platner entered the race to unseat incumbent Republican senator Susan Collins in August, he immediately clicked with Maine voters. An oyster farmer and ex-marine who looks the part of a rugged Down-Easter, Platner’s brand of left-wing populism, focused squarely on the state’s cost-of-living crisis, resonated broadly. Platner has raised an impressive $4-plus million, gotten reams of positive press, drawn large crowds across the state, and received endorsements from Bernie Sanders and several progressive organizations. He has successfully positioned himself as the insurgent alternative against the Democratic Establishment’s pick to take on Collins: Maine’s 77-year-old governor, Janet Mills, who finally joined the race this week with the backing of national figures

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