The Storm Brewing in Down East Maine

The sudden departure of Governor Janet Mills from the race for a Maine Senate seat is a newsworthy development ahead of the 2026 midterm contests. Ms. Mills’s exit clears the field for the Marine and oysterman Graham Platner, from Down East Maine. Beloved of the likes of Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, Mr. Platner will now face off against the Republican incumbent, Susan Collins. Control of the upper chamber could turn on the Pine Tree State.Well, dip that in your melted butter — Governor Mills’s adieu is quite a comeuppance for Senator Chuck Schumer, for whom she was a prized recruit to the race. One Democratic senator tells the Hill that Mr. Schumer’s support for Ms. Mills was “a miscalculation” and bore the imprint of “inertia.” The minority leader, that unnamed solon reckons, is reading from “an old-school book of how you win elections.”Mr. Schumer is now backing Mr. Platner, who has made a trail of incendiary comments — including calling, in November, for Mr. Schumer to step down as Democratic leader. Mr. Platner’s rise appeared briefly troubled by the disclosure that his chest is adorned with the image resembling a Totenkopf, an image associated with the SS. He claims ignorance of the resemblance, and has since had the tattoo covered.In 2014 Mr. Platner praised Hamas’s tactics against Israel, saying “I dig it.” He accuses the Jewish state of genocide. Among Mr. Platner’s supporters is the podcaster Hasan Piker, an anti-American and anti-Israel voice who this week declared that Mr. Platner “was pro-Hamas. He was giving Hamas credit in 2014.” A less sanguine view is taken by Senator John Fetterman, who said with sarcasm after Ms. Mills’s departure “It’s a great day.”Mr. Platner’s troubled relationship to the Holocaust is not limited to the ink in his skin. He has amplified messages — now deleted — from a neo-Nazi denier of the murder of 6 million Jews, Stew Peters. Mr. Platner, who has in the past called himself a “communist,” also not only sat for an interview with an antisemitic conspiracy theorist, Nate Cornacchia, but also proclaimed himself a “longtime fan” of the podcaster. Mr. Platner’s clearing of the Democratic field ahead of the June 9 primary caught the attention of another Senate hopeful, Michigan’s Abdul El-Sayed. The Times reports that in the wake of Ms. Mill’s bowing out Mr. El-Sayed likened himself to Mr. Platner, describing himself in a fundraising email as “that candidate here in Michigan,” one who is “not backed by the establishment.” Mr. El-Sayed declares that Israel is “just as evil” as Hamas.It’s unclear how Ms. Collins is going to address all this in her campaign. She has, though, displayed a capacity for real courage, as in her remarks defending Justice Brett Kavanaugh ahead of his confirmation vote. The country is in a restive mood, though and Mr. Platner’s combination of populism and leftism could prove potent. Mr. Platner’s rough edges appear to be part of his appeal, and his anti-Israel stance is right where his party has landed.

The Storm Brewing in Down East Maine

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