Maine Politics & News
The Daily Signal reports on Maine politics with coverage of state government, ranked-choice voting battles, and the balance between rural traditions and urban progressive policies in the Pine Tree State.
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opinion
The Ghost of Graham Platner Will Haunt Establishment Democrats
Democrats are in the process of exorcising Graham Platner from the party and the Maine Senate race, but Platner’s ghost could haunt Democrats for years to come. Platner’s candidacy was an ambitious experiment led by progressive party outsiders, as self-proclaimed socialists racked up wins from California to New York and plenty of states in between…. -
breaking
BREAKING: Graham Platner Withdraws From Maine Senate Race After Sexual Assault Allegations
Maine Democrat nominee for U.S. Senate Graham Platner has formally announced his withdrawal from the race following sexual assault allegations. On Friday afternoon, Platner posted the letter he wrote to the Maine Department of the Secretary of State on X. “In submitting this letter today, I seek to further the movement we have built together… -
news
Graham Platner Suspends Campaign, but What’s Next?
On Wednesday evening, Graham Platner suspended his campaign as the Democrat nominee for the U.S. Senate in Maine. He had faced a growing number of scandals and loss of support, with the final straw coming Tuesday when an ex-girlfriend claimed Platner broke into her home and raped her. “I think as many of you know,… -
news
Platner Suspends Campaign, Threatens the Democrat Establishment
Accused rapist and Democrat Senate nominee for Maine Graham Platner suspended his campaign Wednesday night. While still denying sexual assault allegations, the progressive is at war with the “Democratic establishment,” which is teeing up to replace him on its terms. “We are suspending campaign operations,” Platner said in an 11-minute video Wednesday night. The candidate… -
news
Graham Platner Ends Senate Campaign, Forcing Democrats to Pivot in Crucial Maine Race
Democrat Senate candidate Graham Platner of Maine on Wednesday promised to formally withdraw from the race after a string of controversies, including an accusation of sexual assault, plunged one of the most competitive races in the 2026 midterm elections into turmoil. The suspension by the former U.S. Marine, announced in a video posted on social media, is… -
news
Maine Democrats Want Their Nominee Out. There’s Just One Problem.
The Maine Democratic Party is working “around the clock” to replace Graham Platner, but as the Democrat Senate nominee, he has leverage—and he’s using it. A civil war is brewing in Maine. As calls continue for Platner to step down, he has stayed silent and continues to deny multiple allegations of sexual assault. According to… -
analysis
How Long Can Graham Platner Make Demands?
The scandals involving Graham Platner, still the Democrat nominee for U.S. Senate in Maine, continue. Nevertheless, Platner looks to be making demands. On Tuesday, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., said Platner should “step aside.” Platner has until next Monday to decide. Otherwise, his name remains on the ballot. Despite declining support from his once top supporter,… -
news
Democrats Follow Their Leader, Refusing Moral Clarity on Platner
Hours after Graham Platner, Democrat nominee for U.S. Senate in Maine, was accused of sexual assault, his party abandoned him. While Democrats claim to be taking the moral high ground, their timeline says otherwise. Monday afternoon, Politico reported another Platner scandal that the political world had sensed was coming after he canceled his campaign events… -
news
Ex-Girlfriend Accuses Graham Platner of Sexual Assault
Graham Platner, Democrat nominee for U.S. Senate in Maine, has been accused of sexual assault by his ex-girlfriend. Platner has denied the allegations. As first reported by Politico, 41-year-old Maine resident Jenny Racicot dated Platner nearly five years ago. Over the course of three detailed interviews spanning two weeks, she detailed the 2021 alleged assault…. -
news
NEW POLL: Maine Senate Race in Dead Heat
Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins is trailing her opponent in a new poll—but by an encouragingly slim margin. Democrats need to net four additional seats in order to gain control of the Senate. On Monday, The New York Times released a poll alongside the Portland Press Herald and Siena in which Democrat Senate nominee Graham… -
opinion
Victor Davis Hanson Sets the Record Straight on Tucker Carlson and Graham Platner
Editor’s note: This is a lightly edited transcript of today’s edition of “Victor Davis Hanson: In His Own Words” from Daily Signal Senior Contributor Victor Davis Hanson. Subscribe to Victor Davis Hanson’s own YouTube channel to watch past episodes. Jack Fowler: Victor, you mentioned Tucker, and I saw this post this morning on X, and it’s “Tucker Carlson defends… -
news
Maine Is ‘Too Progressive’ to Allow Men in Women’s Sports, Girl Dad Leader Says as He Fights to Keep Initiative on the Ballot
Maine fathers are standing up for their daughters, challenging the secretary of state’s decision to invalidate their ballot initiative that aims to protect women’s sports from men claiming to be transgender. “Maine is far too progressive to continue allowing sexist, regressive, and illegal sex-based discrimination in our schools, and the daily violation of the civil… -
analysis
Fellow Democrats and Ex-Lovers Speak out Against Platner Campaign
Graham Platner’s candidacy as the Democrat nominee for U.S. Senate in Maine continues to draw headlines, including over new criticisms from fellow Maine Democrats. Paige Loud, who ran in the Democrat primary to represent Maine’s 2nd Congressional District, had strong words for Platner’s strategist, especially since she’s no longer a candidate. In addition, a woman… -
opinion
‘Shut This White House Down’: Graham Platner’s Maine Win Tests Democrats’ Strategy
Mehek Cooke, the Daily Signal’s senior national security and legal analyst, explains the fallout from Senate candidate Graham Platner’s win in the Maine Democrat primary. This transcript has been slightly edited for clarity. Graham Platner just revealed the Democratic Party’s emerging midterm agenda: permanent resistance. Platner won the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate in… -
opinion
Graham Platner, the Modern Democratic Party’s Fresh Aryan Face
It would have been bad enough if Graham Platner had sported a swastika tattoo for 18 years, perhaps due to twisted respect for the tank-combat tactics of Nazi general Erwin Rommel’s Afrika Korps or maybe irrational exuberance for the propaganda of Nazi cineaste Leni Riefenstahl. Either rationale should sink any Senate bid. However, the Totenkopf tattoo on… -
opinion
Democrats’ Maine Senate Gamble Raises Questions About Standards
The Democratic Party’s approach to Maine’s Senate race has sparked a debate that extends well beyond the state’s borders. At the center of the controversy is Democrat Senate candidate Graham Platner, whose campaign has been dogged by a series of damaging allegations and personal scandals. Reports have highlighted Platner’s past online activity, including the presence… -
news
‘I Couldn’t Stay Silent’: NYT Reports Explosive Allegations Against Maine Senate Candidate Graham Platner
The hits keep coming against embattled Democrat candidate Graham Platner in the U.S. Senate race for Maine. The New York Times released a report Thursday in which former girlfriends of Platner described a disdain for women, with one alleging physical intimidation and mistreatment. Platner also allegedly made bizarre comments about how he would rape someone… -
analysis
Panic Meeting Over Platner Reveals Dems’ Need to Change the Narrative
As the news cycle heats up with the U.S. Senate race in Maine and Democrat candidate Graham Platner, the party is searching for the right narrative. Over the weekend, The New York Times published an article detailing sexually explicit messages the candidate reportedly sent to women other than his wife while he was married. Also,… -
analysis
Democrats’ New Golden Boy Is Already Imploding
Democrats thought they found their next political golden boy in Maine U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner, but they realized his campaign follows the same pattern as disgraced former Rep. Eric Swalwell—with an even worse résumé. Mehek Cooke, a national security and political analyst with the Daily Signal, joined Harris Faulkner on Fox News’ “The Faulkner… -
news
Platner’s Sex Scandal Rocks Maine Senate Campaign
Democrat Graham Platner’s Maine Senate campaign has hit a major obstacle with a sexting scandal, threatening Democrats’ efforts to regain control of the chamber. On Saturday, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal reported that Platner’s wife had previously flagged as a potential liability to campaign staff that she had learned her husband…