The people of Maine are smart, and they know lies when they see them
In the rocky coastal state of Maine, a six-term Republican senator and a first-time progressive challenger are converging in a race that may well decide which party holds the balance of power in Washington. Susan Collins, long a symbol of moderate Republicanism, now faces Graham Platner — veteran, oyster farmer, and populist outsider — in a contest where the weight of national politics, personal controversy, and the quiet struggles of ordinary people all press upon a single Senate seat. The race reflects a broader American tension between institutional experience and the hunger for disruption, between the comfort of the known and the risk of the new.
- Collins has been Chuck Schumer's prime Senate target for three consecutive cycles, and this race is expected to draw over $160 million in outside spending — much of it in attack ads.
- Platner's past Reddit comments about rape and a tattoo linked to Nazi imagery have already become weapons in Republican attack ads, threatening to define him before he can define himself.
- Platner has apologized for both controversies and is pressing forward with a Sanders-Warren-backed populist message, framing Collins as a servant of billionaires hiding behind a moderate mask.
- Collins is leaning into her record of tangible local wins — heating assistance, food bank funding, low-income protections — to counter the narrative that Republicans have failed working Americans.
- With inflation, rising gas prices, an unpopular war, and Trump's low approval ratings all dragging on the GOP, Collins must win not just against her opponent but against the political weather itself.
Susan Collins is seeking a sixth Senate term in Maine, and she is doing so with clear eyes about the fight ahead. She has identified herself as Chuck Schumer's top target for the third election cycle running — and the 2026 race is widely seen as one of the contests most likely to determine whether Republicans hold their narrow Senate majority.
Her opponent is Graham Platner, a military veteran and oyster farmer who secured the Democratic nomination after Governor Janet Mills, the establishment favorite, withdrew last week amid poor polling and fundraising numbers. Platner is a first-time candidate running on economic populism, backed by Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, and he frames the race as a battle between working people and a Washington corrupted by corporate money. He has called Collins's moderate image a "charade" and pointed to her alignment with parts of Trump's agenda as proof she belongs to the broken system he wants to dismantle.
The race has already turned sharp. A pro-Collins Republican group is running ads targeting Platner over decade-old Reddit posts in which he made dismissive comments about rape, and over a tattoo he received in 2007 while stationed in Croatia with fellow Marines that was later found to resemble a Nazi symbol. Platner apologized for the Reddit posts when they surfaced last fall and has since covered the tattoo with a new design. Collins, when pressed on whether she would use this material herself, pulled back — saying she preferred to contrast records and hoped the campaign could stay focused on issues.
Collins is navigating real political headwinds. Inflation, rising gas prices tied to an unpopular conflict with Iran, and Trump's low approval ratings are all burdens the GOP must carry into the midterm environment. She is countering by pointing to concrete local work: securing the final release of heating assistance funds for Maine families, opposing cuts to food stamps, and helping expand a food bank that now serves more than a thousand families each week. She was interviewed at that very facility — a quiet but deliberate signal about where she believes her record speaks loudest.
Democrats view Maine as essential to reclaiming Senate control, and Schumer-aligned groups are expected to flood the state with resources and negative advertising, as they did in the last cycle. Collins expressed confidence that Maine voters are discerning enough to see through distortion — but she was careful not to take anything for granted.
Susan Collins is running for a sixth term in the U.S. Senate from Maine, and she knows exactly who wants her gone. In an interview this week, the Republican senator said she has been Chuck Schumer's top target not just in this race, but in the last two cycles as well. The 2026 contest is shaping up as one of the handful of Senate races across the country that could determine whether Republicans hold their narrow majority.
Collins will face Graham Platner, a military veteran and oyster farmer who emerged as the Democratic nominee after Gov. Janet Mills, the establishment's preferred candidate, dropped out last week. Mills had been trailing Platner significantly in both fundraising and polling. Platner is a first-time candidate running on an economically populist platform, with backing from Sens. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts. He frames his campaign around corporate influence and the interests of working people, positioning himself as an outsider against what he calls a broken Washington.
When asked whether Platner is too far left for Maine voters, Collins said she believes that will be the conclusion voters reach, though she cautioned against taking anything for granted. But the race is already getting rough. A Republican group supporting Collins has begun running ads attacking Platner over controversial comments he made more than a decade ago on Reddit about women and rape, and over a tattoo on his chest that resembled a Nazi symbol. In one 2013 post that Platner later deleted, he wrote that people concerned about rape should not "get so f---ed up they wind up having sex with someone they don't mean to." Platner apologized for those Reddit posts after they surfaced last fall when he launched his campaign. He has also explained that he received the skull and crossbones tattoo in 2007 while drinking with fellow Marines stationed in Croatia, and that he covered it up with a new design after learning it resembled a Nazi symbol.
When pressed on whether she would attack Platner over his political baggage, Collins began to outline her strategy before catching herself. She said she would contrast her record of achievement with Platner's approach, but stopped short of elaborating. She expressed a hope that the campaign could remain civil and focused on issues and accomplishments. Platner, meanwhile, has called Collins's moderate Republican image a "charade" and accused her of prioritizing billionaires and corporations over ordinary people. He highlights her support for parts of President Trump's agenda as evidence that she is part of the political establishment that has failed working Americans.
Collins faces headwinds that go beyond her opponent. Republicans, as the party in power, are battling traditional political currents that favor the opposition party in midterm-style elections. Persistent inflation, rising gas prices tied to an unpopular war with Iran, and Trump's underwater approval ratings all create a difficult environment for the GOP. When asked how she plans to counter Republican blame for the high cost of living, Collins pointed to her work on the low-income heating assistance program, which helps families and seniors afford heat during Maine's brutal winters. She said she recently ensured that the final tranche of funding was released because of the significant need in the state.
Collins also emphasized her opposition to cuts in food stamp benefits and other programs for low-income families, noting how important they are to her constituents. She was interviewed at a food bank that had expanded thanks to federal funding she helped secure. The facility now serves more than 1,000 families each week, and Collins said it was satisfying to know she played a role in allowing the food bank to expand its community room and kitchen. Democrats see Maine as essential to their path back to Senate control, and Schumer's affiliated groups are expected to pour resources into the state. In the last election cycle, Schumer-backed groups spent more than $160 million in Maine, almost entirely on negative advertising against Collins. She acknowledged that this is already happening again, but expressed confidence that Maine voters are smart enough to recognize lies and distortions when they see them.
Notable Quotes
I have been the number one target of Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, not only in this campaign, but the last two campaigns as well.— Sen. Susan Collins
She and Republican politicians like her have prioritized the interests of billionaires and corporations over people.— Graham Platner
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why does Collins keep saying she's Schumer's number one target? Isn't that something a candidate would want to downplay?
It's actually a strategic move. By claiming to be the top target, she's signaling to Maine voters that she's important enough to threaten the Democratic leadership—that she's worth fighting for. It also primes people to expect heavy spending against her, so when the ads come, they're less surprising.
And Platner—he's a first-time candidate. Does that help or hurt him against someone with Collins's experience?
It cuts both ways. He can run as a genuine outsider, which appeals to voters tired of establishment politics. But those old Reddit posts and the tattoo issue—those are the kind of things that haunt first-time candidates who haven't been vetted by a political machine before. He's had to apologize and explain, which puts him on defense early.
Collins says she wants a civil campaign focused on issues. Do you believe that's possible?
Not really. She's already acknowledging that Schumer's groups will spend heavily on negative ads. And Platner is calling her a fraud. Both sides know this is about Senate control. Civil campaigns are what candidates say they want; what they actually run is something else.
What's the real vulnerability for Collins here—is it Platner, or is it the broader political environment?
It's the environment. Inflation, gas prices, an unpopular war, Trump's low approval ratings—those are things no individual senator can fully escape. Platner is just the vessel for that discontent. Collins is trying to inoculate herself by pointing to specific programs she's championed, but that's retail politics in a wholesale moment.
Maine is supposed to be left-leaning. Why is this race even competitive?
Because Collins has built a brand as a moderate Republican who breaks with her party when she thinks it's right. That's given her a cushion in a blue state. But Platner is betting that cushion has worn thin—that voters will see her as complicit in Trump's agenda regardless of her occasional dissents.