Marine and army veteran Graham Platner has launched a bid for the Senate seat in Maine up for reelection in the 2026 midterms in an attempt to oust five-term GOP Sen. Susan Collins.
"We have watched this state become essentially unliveable for working class people," the Democrat stated in the video. "And it makes me deeply angry."
The Democratic and political newcomer said he supports universal healthcare, supporting veterans, and ending funding for foreign wars.
The Democrat said in his campaign launch video that he's fighting against an "oligarchy" that is destroying the country—a phrase that has become front and center in Sen. Bernie Sanders's (I-Vt.) campaigning. Platner blamed billionaires and corrupt politicians for hurting middle-class families and pushing others into poverty.
Collins has held her Senate seat since 1997 and is Maine's longest serving member of Congress. Collins was one of only three GOP senators to vote with all Democrats against President Donald Trump's major tax cut and spending plan known as the One Big Beautiful Bill, saying she did the right thing for the people of Maine.
"I'm not just running against Susan Collins: I'm running against the billionaire class that owns her and owns Washington," Platner's campaign website states.
Platner also vowed to be a senator "for all those who can’t buy Senators."
The oysterman's campaign pits him against two other Democrat candidates who have already entered the race.
Jordan Wood, a former chief of staff to former Rep. Katie Porter (D-Calif.), has also launched a senate bid in Maine in the hopes of unseating Collins.
David Costello, a former USAID worker, is also running for the seat.
Democrats, however, are hoping Maine Gov. Janet Mills will enter the race. Mills, a high-profile Democrat, has been considered a strong contender to unseat the incumbent senator in the 2026 midterm elections.
Republicans have a 53–47 majority in the Senate. Only the seats in Maine and North Carolina are widely viewed as competitive by nonpartisan election analysts. That means that Democrats will have to defend all of their seats and also secure wins in more deeply Republican states, such as Ohio or Iowa, to secure a majority in the upper chamber.
Independent Angus King holds Maine's other seat in the Senate. He was reelected to the Senate in 2024, defeating Democratic nominee David Costello, Republican nominee Demi Kouzounas, and Democrat-turned-independent Jason Cherry.