Graham Platner won the Democratic primary in Maine on June 9, 2026 with a resounding 72% of the vote. He is now the Democratic candidate for US Senate in Maine, and currently stands a very reasonable chance of beating incumbent Republican Susan Collins – which in turn could help end MAGA control of the Senate and finally put the brakes on Trump.
But Platner is controversial, even with progressives. On one hand, he calls himself a “New Deal Democrat.” He supports Medicare for All, stronger labor unions, affordable housing, a billionaire tax, the abolition of ICE, and an end to “pointless wars.” He has called the Gaza genocide “the ultimate moral test of our time.” He has been endorsed by Bernie Sanders, Zohran Mamdani, Ro Khanna and other notable progressives.
On the other hand, Platner has a murky past and has faced a number of fairly serious accusations, particularly around his treatment of women. Many progressives are quick to dismiss those accusations as being politically motivated. But for some, these accusations are deeply troubling.
This election, however, determines who controls Congress and thus whether or not the worst excesses of Trumpism can be stopped. Susan Collins may be one of the more enlightened Republicans in the Senate, but she enables the worst of her colleagues to control that House, and she thereby enables Trump. So, Mainers, even if you don’t love him, please vote for Platner to save this country – and the world – from the disaster that is emanating from the White House.
And if you want to feel a little better about voting for Platner, you can “swap your vote” with somebody in a solid red or blue state, and they can vote for your favorite third party on your behalf. (Details at votetosurvive.org.)
Every third party vote sends a message to the Democratic Party establishment that simply voting for the “lesser of two evils” is not good enough. Having only two political parties representing a country of 340 million is frankly ridiculous. Every other democracy on the planet has multiple political parties. Different perspectives are crucial for solving the complex problems we face today, and multi-party democracies force politicians to work together and make compromises.
In the short term, vote swapping will help get the votes needed in the right places to put an end to MAGA control of Congress. In the long term, vote swapping can help strengthen third parties and break the two-party stranglehold over this country. We will all be better off when that finally happens.
PHOTO: Wikimedia Commons