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janet mills
Backed by Platner Campaign, Maine Voters Reject GOP-Led Attack on Absentee Voting
"This victory belongs to the thousands of volunteers, many of them with our campaign, who left it all on the field to save absentee voting in Maine," said the US Senate candidate.
Nov 05, 2025
With 87% of the vote counted, around two-thirds of Mainers on Tuesday rejected a Republican-backed ballot measure that would have made it harder to vote absentee in a state where more than 370,000 people submitted such ballots last year—a win for democracy that came after US Senate candidate Graham Platner mobilized his supporters to campaign against the proposal.
The oyster farmer and harbormaster is one of multiple Democrats—including term-limited Gov. Janet Mills, who also opposed Question 1—running in the June primary to face longtime Republican Sen. Susan Collins next November.
In the lead-up to this year's election, Platner released an animated advertisement and held a major rally in Portland against Question 1, which would have eliminated two days of absentee voting, prohibited requests for absentee ballots by phone or family members, ended ongoing absentee voter status for seniors and people with disabilities, banned prepaid postage on absentee ballot return envelopes, limited the number of drop boxes, and required voters to show certain photo identification.
"This victory belongs to the thousands of volunteers, many of them with our campaign, who left it all on the field to save absentee voting in Maine," Platner said on social media after the results were announced late Tuesday, confirming that they worked 2,400 canvass shifts and contacted 49,000 voters.
League of Women Voters of Maine called the outcome "a win for voting rights and for Maine voters."
"Question 1 was a voter suppression bill that would have erected unnecessary barriers to voting," said Jen Lancaster, the group's communications director. "A large number of Maine voters depend on absentee voting to cast their ballot. It's important to protect this vital service and not dismantle it piece by piece."
Mills also welcomed its defeat, saying that "once again, Maine people have affirmed their faith in our free, fair, and secure elections, in this case by rejecting a direct attempt to restrict voting rights. Maine has long had one of the highest rates of voter turnout in the nation, in good part due to safe absentee voting—and Maine people tonight have said they want to keep it that way."
The governor also opposed Question 2, the "red flag" gun law approved by about two-thirds of Mainers on Tuesday. Mills said after the election that "I sincerely hope that this measure will strengthen public safety as proponents have argued. My administration will work with law enforcement and the public to implement this new law, along with our existing extreme risk protection law, to best ensure the safety of Maine people."
Platner, a US military veteran who has taught firearms courses, publicly supported Question 2 but did not campaign for or against it. The ballot measure passed after a 2023 mass shooting in Lewiston left 18 people dead, not including the shooter, whose family, friends, and Army Reserve unit all reported concerns about his mental health and access to firearms before the massacre.
"Maine voters have taken the safety of our communities into our own hands by passing commonsense, responsible gun legislation that will save lives and help keep our kids and families safe, not just from the horrors of a tragedy like Lewiston, but from the devastating impacts of everyday gun violence," Nacole Palmer of the Maine Gun Safety Coalition said in a statement after the vote. "Despite years of opposition from the gun lobby and the politicians they back, we've shown that our movement for commonsense, responsible gun ownership is stronger."
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What Graham Platner Said When a Trans Mainer Asked: 'Will You Stand Up for Me?'
“I believe that you are a better person than you once were because I am a better person than I once was," said the potential voter at a campaign stop.
Oct 29, 2025
In an exchange that went viral on social media Tuesday, US Senate candidate Graham Platner offered reassurance to a transgender Mainer who asked whether he would "fight" alongside her and other LGBTQ+ people in the face of attacks from the right.
The woman, identified as Sami, asked Platner at a packed campaign event in Damariscotta, Maine: "If I stand with you, will you fight with me? Will you stand up for me?"
Platner, a Marine veteran and oyster farmer who launched his Democratic primary campaign in August in hopes of ultimately challenging Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) for her seat in 2026, answered that he firmly believes "that every single American has the right to live the life they want to live in their own body as they see fit," and emphasized what he views as his "responsibility" as a straight, white, cisgender male, to defend the rights of LGBTQ+ people.
"I get to put myself out there in ways that other people don’t," said Platner. "I'm doing this because I know that I can say things, I know that I can have conversations, I know that I can knock on doors in places that a lot of other people can't have access to, that a lot of other people won't feel safe in."
"Yes, I will absolutely stand next to you, and if we ever have to go knock doors together, I'm happy to stand by your side," he added.
"If I stand with you, will you fight with me? Will you stand up for me?"
My answer: pic.twitter.com/PAIQOrT9nz
— Graham Platner for Senate (@grahamformaine) October 28, 2025
Sami's question came after Platner's campaign garnered national attention over deleted Reddit posts from his past, in which he used the word "gay" in a derogatory way and made other offensive comments, and a skull tattoo he got while in the Marines that some said resembled a Nazi symbol.
Platner has said he wasn't aware of the resemblance and had the tattoo covered up with another image recently, and has apologized for the Reddit posts, saying at another crowded town hall last week that he "used to hold different opinions."
"I also grew," he said. "I met new people. I learned of other people’s experiences. I realized... that the more open I could be to listen to other people’s stories, the more open I was willing to be—to extend compassion and empathy to others.”
Sami referenced the controversy, telling Platner, "I believe that you are a better man than you once were in the past because I’m a better person than I was in the past."
Alex Seitz-Wald, deputy editor of the Midcoast Villager, said the exchange displayed how Platner is "getting people to forgive him," and spoke to Sami at the campaign event as she was "signing a volunteer form" to help the candidate's campaign.
Platner's response, said Sami, was "what I hoped to get."
"It's very easy for a lot of politicians to sweep us under the rug," she added.
President Donald Trump's attacks on LGBTQ+ rights hit transgender Maine residents earlier this year, with the White House threatening to cut federal funding to the state unless Gov. Janet Mills complied with his executive order using his administration's interpretation of Title IX to block transgender girls and women from competing as female athletes on school sports teams.
Trump agreed to halt the funding freeze after the state sued his administration.
Sami said she had been "really impressed" with Mills' fight against Trump. The governor announced her Senate run earlier this month after Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) called on her to join the primary race.
"I voted for her for governor, but not for this," said Sami. "I don't think she has the ability to make change."
Platner's campaign has garnered attention not just for the recent controversies, but for his outspoken advocacy for working-class families and policy proposals like Medicare for All and a billionaire minimum tax, his conviction that "the oligarchy is the enemy," his statement that he would not support Schumer as the party's leader if he wins the Senate seat, and his unequivocal condemnation of US support for Israel's assault on Gaza.
At the campaign event in Damariscotta, Platner described himself as a "New Deal Democrat" and told the crowd of 700 people that "we cannot be tricked into pointing fingers left and right when the only direction to be pointing fingers is up.”
In recent days, numerous polls have shown Platner leading Mills by a wide margin in the primary race—while one survey found Mills five points ahead of him—and Maine voters have packed gymnasiums and theaters for his campaign events.
Seitz-Wald reported that at the event in Damariscotta on Monday, Platner fielded "eight questions from the audience, one on Reddit posts, none on tattoo."
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Another Poll Shows Platner's Double-Digit Lead Over Establishment Pick Mills in Maine Senate Race
The survey suggests that "people want a culture that brings back grace, forgiveness, and growth," said one journalist.
Oct 24, 2025
A second poll that was conducted in the midst of the recent onslaught of media reports about US Senate candidate Graham Platner's deleted Reddit posts and tattoo confirmed that voters in Maine have been undeterred by the attacks on the Democrat's character.
The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) polled 647 likely Democratic voters from October 22-23, amid considerable national attention focusing on a tattoo that Platner got while he was in the Marines—one that some said resembled a Nazi symbol and that Platner got covered up after learning of the resemblance.
The survey found that 46% of respondents supported Platner despite the controversies, while 25% were backing Maine Gov. Janet Mills.
Mills announced her campaign earlier this month; US Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) had called on her to join the Democratic primary race.
Next year's primary winner will face longtime Republican Sen. Susan Collins, who has persistently claimed to hold moderate views, particularly on abortion rights, but has voted for numerous anti-choice federal judges including Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
Seventy-one percent of voters said they viewed Platner favorably, and 73% said he stands up for their values.
Since launching his campaign in August, Platner has been outspoken in his criticism of the United States' "oligarchy," Democratic leaders who have capitulated to President Donald Trump, and US support for Israel's assault on Gaza. His platform includes support for Medicare for All, a billionaire minimum tax, and federal LGBTQ+ anti-discrimination legislation.
This week, in addition to promoting policy proposals to help working families afford childcare, groceries, and other essentials, Platner has spoken about how many of his views have evolved since he wrote comments in online forums about sexual assault, people who live in rural areas, and other topics.
At a town hall in Ogunquit on Wednesday night, Platner said he did not want to "minimize what has come out,” but emphasized that he "used to hold different opinions."
"I also grew," he said. "I met new people. I learned of other people’s experiences."
In the NRSC poll, 45% of respondents said Platner's statements about his past remarks made them more likely to support him.
The findings, said journalist Ryan Grim of Drop Site News, suggested that the scandal is "helping Platner rather than hurting him—not because people love Nazi tats but because people want a culture that brings back grace, forgiveness, and growth."
Drop Site News interviewed attendees at the town hall, and found similar sentiments.
"I’ve lived long enough to know people make mistakes, and I’ve never been someone to throw a person by the wayside because they misstep," said Christian Millian, 39, of Wells. "Otherwise, I’d be on the wayside."
At another event in Waterville recently, Sharon McCarthy, 50, told Drop Site News that "anyone our age and younger is going to have a past on the internet."
“I liked that he addressed the Reddit comment issue straight out," she said. "A lot of us said things we aren’t proud of in our younger years and have learned and grown since then. Since he addressed it straight out, didn’t deny or deflect, and said he had changed, I’m willing to give him that grace.”
At the town hall Wednesday, Platner also spoke about the need for voters to connect with one another over politics instead of seeing it as the realm of "congressman and senators."
"For us to get young people to believe again, we have to show young people that... politics is about building power with your neighbors," he said. "Politics is about protecting your community... We are not going to just convince people by telling them that they need to read a different news source."
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