What's the main thing in Maine's Senate race?
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Hey there, it's the NPR Politics Podcast. I'm Tamara Keith. I cover the White House. I'm Mara Liason, Senior National Political Correspondent. And Maine Public's Kevin Miller is also here. Hi, Kevin. Hi, how are you? Oh, great. And so great to have you here. You know, at the NPR Politics Podcast, we are taking a look at the most competitive U.S. Senate races for 2026. And today on the show, we have you here because we're turning to Maine. So, Kevin, let's start with the basics. Why should this race be on everyone's radar?
Well, the big thing about this race is it involves Republican Senator Susan Collins. She is a longtime incumbent. She's been in office nearly 30 years. She's kind of an institution up here in Maine, but she's widely considered as one of the most vulnerable Republican senators this year because she's the only Republican running for reelection. in a state that Donald Trump lost in 2024. So this year, she's facing two top Democratic primary challengers right now. Our current governor, Janet Mills, she's been in office for seven years. She's been an attorney general here in Maine before that. She's kind of a more moderate establishment candidate. And then she's running against Graham Plattner. He's a 41-year-old Marine Corps veteran, oysterman.
His campaign just absolutely kind of exploded onto the scene back in the summer, and he's generated a lot of interest.
Yet let's dig in on this just fascinating Democratic primary. You know, one would assume that an incumbent governor would have an advantage over a political newcomer. And yet that's not really what's happening. So what is it about Graham Plattner?
Why is Maine's Senate race significant for Democrats?
Yes. Graham Plattner has kind of tapped into this deep seated frustration that we're seeing everywhere with Democratic voters kind of stemming from the 2024 elections. Right. So he's he's young. He's 41. He's very nontraditional. He's a combat tested Marine Corps veteran. He deployed four separate times to Iraq and Afghanistan. He's a fisherman. He kind of taps into that frustration. Mystique up here in Maine about the kind of the rugged coastline, a hardworking individual. He's been endorsed by Senator Bernie Sanders. He's really this kind of disruptor type of candidate that we're seeing come out. Whereas Governor Mills, she's been in office for seven years. She's the best known Democrat in Maine by far.
And there was a lot of support for her to run against Senator Collins. But she waited, what people are saying, just too long to get into the race. She waited for several months after Graham Plattner got in. And now you have this kind of dynamic between a disruptor candidate during an election year when a lot of Democrats want to see change, and you have the more establishment, older Democrat.
Can you talk about sort of the issues that they're campaigning on and their differences?
Yeah, I guess a lot of the Democratic primary campaign right now, a lot of the differences seem to be somewhat style related and age related and experience. You have Graham Plattner, who's a newcomer. He's coming in and saying, I'm going to shake things up in Washington. We don't need kind of the same old, same old. On the other side, you have Governor Mills, who can point to her not only her seven years as governor, but as a fairly moderate Democrat, but also her tenure as attorney general and prosecutor. She was the first woman attorney general, prosecutor and governor in Maine. So her argument to Democratic voters is, look,
Who are the main Democratic candidates challenging Susan Collins?
I'm the experienced person. I've gone toe to toe with Donald Trump. I've gone toe to toe with our former controversial Republican governor, Paul LePage, who you guys may remember. I'm perfectly willing to stand up for the people of Maine. So it's kind of been an argument between experience versus kind of the new fresh face in politics who's who's willing to come in and shake things up.
So not an argument over universal health care or anything like that or.
No, it's interesting. They both support universal health care. It's just how far they push it. Governor Millis is saying, yes, she supports universal health care, whereas Graham Platner is much more aligned with Bernie Sanders.
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Chapters
5 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:04–1:44
2
Why is Maine's Senate race significant for Democrats?
1:44–3:32
3
Who are the main Democratic candidates challenging Susan Collins?
3:32–6:16
4
What makes Graham Plattner a unique candidate in this primary?
6:16–12:04
5
How do the campaigning styles of Mills and Plattner differ?
12:04–20:01