Maine Senate Race Heats Up as Collins and Platner Unveil Opposing Campaign Ads

On Tuesday, Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) aired a one-minute spot highlighting her role in securing federal assistance for the Eastport breakwater reconstruction. Two days later, Democratic challenger Graham Platner released a similarly timed ad that attacks Collins’s record on the Iran war, abortion rights and her alignment with President Trump. The dueling ads mark the first general-election messaging from both candidates after Gov. Janet Mills’s withdrawal reshaped the race.

The Hill

Gov. Janet Mills (D-ME) suspended her Senate campaign in April, citing lagging poll numbers. Her departure cleared the Democratic field, allowing Platner— a combat veteran and oyster farmer— to become the presumptive nominee. The June 9 primary will determine the official Democratic challenger, while Collins seeks a sixth term in the November general election.

The Hill

Sen. Susan Collins, 73, chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee and has served five terms. Graham Platner, a former Marine and oyster farmer, positions himself as an anti-establishment progressive. Chris Gardner, executive director of the Eastport Port Authority, appears in Collins’s ad to attest to the senator’s involvement in the breakwater project.

The Hill

Collins helped obtain a $6 million federal grant for the Eastport breakwater in 2013; the structure later received a $15 million overhaul beginning in 2017 using state, federal and city funds. The Senate contest is already described as one of the most expensive in Maine’s history, though specific ad-spending figures are not disclosed.

The Hill

Collins told a local outlet that a benign tremor causing occasional shaking does not affect her duties, emphasizing her long-term service. Platner’s ad frames his campaign as a response to “performative politics,” asserting that Collins’s record on national issues disqualifies her for the Senate.

The Hill

Platner’s advertisement labels Collins’s opposition to the Trump administration as “symbolic” and condemns her “weak” stance on the Iran conflict and the 2022 overturning of Roe v. Wade. Democratic strategists note that Platner’s messaging taps voter anger, while the party’s national leadership cautiously embraces his candidacy to preserve a potential Senate majority.

Washington Examiner

The Washington Examiner characterizes Platner’s ad as “populist conservative” in style, whereas The New York Times describes it as a “progressive insurgent” attack, indicating divergent media interpretations of his rhetorical approach.

Washington Examiner

• “But prior to sunrise, we received a phone call from Sen. Susan Collins, who assured us that she would be there to help see it rebuilt,” — Chris Gardner, Executive Director, Eastport Port Authority

The Hill

• “Susan Collins’s charade is over.” — Graham Platner, Democratic Senate candidate

Washington Examiner

• “I have had it for the entire time that I have served in the United States Senate,” — Sen. Susan Collins

The Hill

• “Selling out the same working-class voters who’ve delivered mandate for change after mandate for change is not forgivable,” — Graham Platner

The Hill

• “A performative politics that enables the destruction of our way of life is disqualifying as a United States Senator. I am running because it is time for change.” — Graham Platner

New York Times

• “The breakwater has long been a part of Eastport’s past, and with the help of Susan Collins, it’ll always be a part of our future as well,” — Chris Gardner

The Hill

The June 9 Democratic primary will finalize the challenger, after which both campaigns will intensify advertising ahead of the November 5 general election, a contest that could determine Senate control for the final two years of President Trump’s term.

The Hill