A large crowd came out to see the two Democrats: over 1,000 chairs were put out in a ballroom at the Holiday Inn in downtown Portland, and most of them appeared full as the event began.
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During her roughly 20 minute speech, Warren didn’t mention Platner’s opponent, two-term Governor Janet Mills, who has a more moderate record and is the establishment’s choice for the nomination. But the senator offered broader critiques of those in Washington who “go along to get along, who have ideas at the margins, who want to think it all through and make just maybe a little change here, a little change there.”
“Then there are people who realize that when the system is this broken, when there are this many billionaires who have this much control over our nation, it’s no longer time to make little changes at the margins,” Warren said.
With the primary election less than two months away, Platner — an Iraq War veteran and oyster farmer who was largely unknown a year ago — may currently be the front-runner in the race.
Despite scrutiny of his past social media comments, and revelations he had a Nazi symbol tattooed on his chest as a young infantryman, Platner is leading in recent public polls of the race, often by large margins. And he has outpaced Mills on fundraising, bringing in $4.6 million in the last quarter to her $2.6 million.
The winner will take on Senator Susan Collins, the longtime Republican incumbent, who is a formidable foe. Warren didn’t attack Collins directly, but made clear there was great hope for a change in the seat.
A strategic factor behind Warren’s appearance was clear: cutting into Mills’ most reliable voters. The ballroom was decorated with signs saying “Women for Graham” and “Grahamas for Platner.” Many of the attendees behind them on stage were women, and all three of their introductory speakers were women, including Platner’s wife, Amy Gertner.
Older women, in particular, have been the backbone of Mills’ support and also happen to be among the most active voters in Maine; Platner is a gruff military veteran whose past comments on a variety of issues — and apologies for them — have invited national debates about masculinity and politics. (However, many of his recent rally crowds feature more older women than younger men.)
The alignment between Warren and Platner on policy is considerable. Platner’s left-wing populist message, heavy on criticism of billionaires, corporations, and their impact on policy and politics, shares much of the underpinnings of Warren’s longtime crusades.
During her speech, the senator said she immediately liked Platner after hearing him say in an early interview that he understood the system was “rigged” when no bankers went to jail after the 2008 financial crisis.
“I said to myself, ‘that’s my kind of man,’” Warren said.
As Democrats begin hoping the Senate majority is within reach, the Massachusetts senator has made several endorsements this primary season, which has proven an especially contentious one for a party that is hungry for fresh messages and new leadership.
Rarely have so many individual Democratic senators waded into competitive primaries; Warren, along with like-minded colleagues, has endorsed progressive candidates who are competing in primaries against rivals aligned with the party establishment.
Elsewhere, Warren has also gotten behind Mallory McMorrow, who’s running for Michigan’s open Senate seat, and backed Illinois Lieutenant Gov. Julianna Stratton, who won that state’s contested primary last month over more moderate opponents.
Maine’s contest reflects some of the rank-and-file frustration with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and his candidate recruitment in this election. Schumer and the official Senate Democratic campaign arm are openly backing Mills, while Warren and others, including Vermont Independent Senator Bernie Sanders, are behind Platner.
In Portland, Warren cast Platner’s race as an inflection point for Democrats as they seek to win back power following the 2024 election.
“We have a decision to make: what kind of a party do we want to be as Democrats, how do we win as Democrats, and take back our country,” Warren said. “We win when we back candidates who have the courage,” she added, to take on billionaires, corporations, and political corruption.
Platner echoed those points. “We all want to get rid of Susan Collins. We all want to turn Maine blue,” he said. “But it very much matters what kind of Democrats we turn the Senate blue with.”
“When we beat Susan Collins with this kind of politics, when we beat someone that the Democratic establishment has failed to beat for 30 years with this kind of campaign,” he said, “we will show this is the politics of the future.”
Speaking to reporters in South Portland on Friday, Mills expressed respect for Warren — and showed little concern that she was weighing in the race.
“There’s a reason that Maine left Massachusetts 206 years ago,” Mills quipped, adding it was “ironic” that Platner was making an issue of Mills’ age while campaigning with Warren, who is 76, and Sanders, who is 84. “He’s not asking her to get out of the U.S. Senate… so why is my age an issue and theirs is not?”
Sam Brodey can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him @sambrodey.
