We have an update on the Maine Senate Democrat primary, and it is not positive news for Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY).
Newcomer Graham Platner and the state’s governor, Janet Mills, emerged as the top two candidates in the race. Platner has received the endorsement of twice-failed presidential candidate and Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), who describes Platner as a humble, working-class individual who aims to challenge Schumer and the Democratic establishment, positioning himself as a “fighter” against President Trump’s America First agenda (only the Domestic Terrorist Party is against ‘America first’). Also, I guess it doesn’t matter to Sanders, who is Jewish, that Platner has Nazi tattoos because, you know, Jews like him can overlook the Nazi stuff if the Nazi is a fellow communist.
Mills received support from Schumer and the Democrat Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC), who believed her popularity in the state and her conflict with Trump over the issue of men participating in women’s sports had significantly raised her profile, making her a strong candidate for the nomination.
However, despite facing multiple scandals, including the tattoo thingy, he remained comfortably at the top of the race. This, along with a lack of financial resources, led Mills to suspend her campaign on Thursday.
Mills stopped short of endorsing Platner in a statement, saying that “I very simply do not have the one thing that political campaigns unfortunately require today: the financial resources,” while adding that she had, “unending love, admiration, and hope for Maine people — a people whose hearts are filled with love and whose integrity and humility is surpassed only by their kindness, generosity, and compassion.”
But because Democrats are gigantic hypocrites and really are the party of authoritarianism, the DSCC eagerly jumped aboard the Platner campaign: “After years of allowing Trump’s abuses of power, Senator Collins has never been more vulnerable and we will work with the presumptive Democratic nominee Graham Platner to defeat her.”
Susan Collins has also pivoted to the general election. Last week, the senator responded to negative ads from Schumer-aligned groups by referencing the chest tattoo Platner covered up after it was identified last year as a Nazi symbol.
Susan Collins: Chuck is trying to cover up Democrats’ bad ideas by attacking others. You know, when I think about it, his approach is like trying to cover up an outrageous tattoo. You can paint over it, but we all know what’s underneath.”
There is a substantial amount of material on Platner that Collins can use during the general election, and that’s an understatement. While Platner may have had an easy time in the primary, the general campaign season will be more challenging. Both he and Collins will be targeting not only their respective party voters but also independents, who make up 36 percent of the state’s voting base, according to the Independent Voting Project.
Democrats see this seat as a prime opportunity to pick up a seat. However, Platner tends to make mistakes, while Collins is an experienced campaigner who has successfully navigated previous challenges and is unlikely to back down easily. This race will be interesting to watch.