Graham Platner, the oyster farmer seeking to become Maine’s next Senator, has seized frontrunner status in the Democratic primary with a progressive vision that’s finally finding an audience in the historically moderate state.
The Maine race is a must-win for Democrats, who need a net gain of four seats in November’s midterm elections to claim a Senate majority and see an opportunity to oust Republican Susan Collins from a seat she’s held for nearly 30 years. A series of recent polls have put Platner ahead of his main challenger in the June 9 Democratic primary, two-term Maine Governor Janet Mills, even as he ...