Patrick Whittle reports that on a recent trivia night in Kittery, Maine, the questions centered on Graham Platner in a way that made his campaign feel like a shared gathering rather than a distant political contest. The event, held at a local community center, included questions about Platner’s background, including an exchange about a tattoo controversy from his time in the Marines, with an audience-supplied answer presented during the game.
In that primary race, Platner — a 41-year-old oyster farmer and military veteran — faces Gov. Janet Mills in the June 9 Democratic primary. The top finisher will then take on five-term Republican Sen. Susan Collins, a matchup that could shape Senate control. Platner has been campaigning with what his supporters describe as an outsider energy, mixing community-focused outreach with a message emphasizing redemption and personal change.
Supporters at the Kittery trivia night described the events as a way to put political energy into something positive. Beth Knight, a 63-year-old teacher who attended, said she believes Platner has “a true redemption story,” and she pointed to the chance to connect with the candidate through a social setting. Organizers said attendees drank soda and ate cookies while a Boston punk band, Dropkick Murphys, played, and that many participants appeared to know details about Platner that extended beyond conventional stump speeches.
The trivia questions also reflected the campaign’s emphasis on framing. Attendees were asked what characteristics make Platner the best candidate to beat Collins, with the game’s “correct answer” describing Platner as having “grown as an individual and is honest.” Another question asked about the “primary enemy” named in Platner’s campaign launch video, with the answer given as “the oligarchy and the billionaires,” underscoring how the campaign is trying to tie personal narrative to a broader anti-establishment pitch.
Even as the campaign has sought to draw people into informal events, coverage has also followed Platner’s past. The article says Platner has faced questions about a skull-and-crossbones tattoo that he said he received during a period of drinking while on military leave in Croatia, with questions lingering about whether the image was associated with Nazi symbolism. Platner has maintained that he was unaware at the time of the association and that he later covered the tattoo with a different design. The campaign has also faced questions about old online posts that Platner has since disavowed.
The scrutiny has extended beyond tattoos and old posts. The article says Platner has been questioned for being a guest on a podcast hosted by Nate Cornacchia, a retired Green Beret who has been accused of antisemitism. Meanwhile, Platner’s campaign has continued to seek increased visibility, filling theaters, meeting halls and rallies rather than relying on a single message channel.
According to the report, from Platner’s August campaign announcement through the end of March, he hosted 50 town halls across Maine. The campaign said Mills and Collins have not held any. The article describes the events as including canvassing and phone-banking training, as well as happy hours at breweries and poster-making before No Kings protests. It also cites how, on the same night as the Kittery trivia game, Platner was more than 350 miles away at a town hall in Fort Kent, in the far north of the state.
The Mills and Collins campaigns rejected the idea that Platner is more accessible to voters. Tommy Garcia, a spokesman for the Mills campaign, said in a statement that Mills is the only Democrat to have won statewide in 20 years, and that voters trust her record in delivering progress, adding that she leads the state “every single day.” Collins spokesperson Blake Kernen said that “town halls are often organized by partisan or dark money groups,” and she said Mills prefers smaller group meetings rather than larger gatherings where few people can speak, also citing that civility can vary.
As the primary nears, the report says the spending and attention around the contest have increased. It reports that AdImpact analysis found Platner had spent more on advertising than Mills since entering the race in August, at $4.8 million versus $1.5 million. The article also says Mills recently released a video in which women read some of Platner’s older social media posts that were dismissive of sexual assault.
Platner’s supporters argue that the increased focus on past controversies reflects a Democratic appetite for candidates who are honest about mistakes and show they have changed. Sen. Martin Heinrich of New Mexico, a Democrat who endorsed Platner, said the party has more appetite “to have people that are not just purely polished and have been on an election track their whole lives.” Another campaign endorser, Megan Smith, a community organizer with the Maine People’s Alliance, said some voters bristle at what she described as an assumption from outside Maine that leaders like Schumer know better than Mainers.
Still, the report says Platner faces political history and uncertainty in trying to win the Democratic primary. Michael Franz, a government professor at Bowdoin College, said there has been an inclination among Maine Democratic primary voters to pick the known candidate, often an older officeholder. Franz called Platner a “high-risk, high-reward type of candidate,” saying the outcome could range from him becoming a national figure to a result that falls short of the kind of breakthrough supporters anticipate.
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