Democrats want us to focus on Graham Platner’s policies. He fails Maine there, too

Now that Graham Platner is officially the Democratic Party’s chosen campaigner to look Sen. Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins this November, his run unit and the far-left constitution that backmost him volition undoubtedly walk the adjacent 5 months trying to incorporate the fallout from his idiosyncratic history.

They volition inquire voters to look past the home maltreatment allegations, the rhetoric glorifying governmental violence, the racially charged comments and the Nazi tattoo. They volition reason that those controversies are distractions and impulse Mainers to absorption alternatively connected the issues facing our state.

As a Republican serving successful the Maine House, I wholeheartedly agree.

Because erstwhile Mainers look beyond the colorful Platner headlines and crook their absorption to his policies, they volition find an utmost mentation of the aforesaid progressive docket that has already made beingness harder for moving families crossed our state.

GOP LAWMAKER WARNS VOTERS THAT PLATNER'S 'EXTREME' POLICIES JUST AS CONCERNING AS HIS BAGGAGE: 'STAY AWAY'

Sen. Bernie Sanders and Democratic Senate campaigner Graham Platner basal unneurotic during a "Fighting Oligarchy" circuit halt astatine the Collins Center for the Arts connected the University of Maine field successful Orono, Maine, connected May 24, 2026. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

The past 8 years of Democrat enactment successful the superior of Augusta person created a cost-of-living situation wherever astir fractional of Mainers conflict to marque ends meet. In conscionable 8 years, the authorities fund has astir doubled from $6.7 cardinal to $12 cardinal portion Mainers person been deed with 32 caller oregon higher taxes and fees to wage for it.

Platner’s reply to the rising outgo of surviving is adjacent much taxes. And not conscionable 1 oregon 2 targeted increases. No, his program includes an full level built astir caller wealthiness taxes, higher taxes connected concern income, expanded payroll taxes, caller federally funded programs and a dramatically larger relation for Washington successful managing the economy. As wealthiness flees the authorities nether this oppressive taxation model, much middle-class Mainers volition beryllium stuck paying the difference. 

Another crushed Maine has go truthful costly is energy. Maine ratepayers wage 63% much for energy than the mean American, successful ample portion due to the fact that of Augusta Democrats’ relentless propulsion for vigor policies that unit consumers to subsidize unreliable upwind and solar, careless of cost. Those subsidies unsocial adhd $275 a twelvemonth to the mean household’s energy bill, with ratepayers besides connected the hook for the costly grid investments needed to enactment them.

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In lockstep with the progressive fringe, Platner wants much of these Green New Deal-style mandates, which person already resulted successful higher costs and little reliable vigor not lone successful Maine, but besides successful states crossed the country.

In healthcare, Platner’s reply to challenges mostly created by authorities overreach and years of unchecked MaineCare (Maine’s Medicaid program) enlargement is adjacent much government-run healthcare.

Today, Maine taxpayers are backing astir doubly arsenic galore MaineCare enrollees arsenic they were a decennary ago, the predictable effect of years of enlargement pushed by politicians who importune government-run healthcare is the answer. It intelligibly is not.

Access to healthcare has lone deteriorated nether this system. Thirteen of Maine’s 16 counties are federally designated healthcare shortage areas, acknowledgment to overreaching authorities regulations similar Certificate of Need laws that let authorities regulators to artifact caller facilities and services.

In education, Augusta’s policies person led to Maine spending much than ever astatine astir $26,000 per pupil. And yet, the authorities ranks 41st nationally successful K-12 education, with speechmaking and mathematics scores astatine their lowest levels successful 3 decades. Maine families are near with nary recourse due to the fact that authorities Democrats, the bulk enactment liable for those outcomes, garbage to enactment schoolhouse choice.

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Platner’s reply to the rising outgo of surviving is adjacent much taxes. And not conscionable 1 oregon 2 targeted increases. 

Platner’s reply to our failing schools is unsurprisingly much powerfulness for the aforesaid acquisition constitution that produced those failures successful the archetypal place, and little powerfulness for families whose kids request existent alternatives.

Platner’s argumentation level is simply a continuation, and successful galore cases a much extremist version, of the aforesaid policies that person burdened Mainers for the amended portion of a decade. Those unhappy with the outgo of living, vigor bills, healthcare and acquisition successful Maine volition find small comfortableness successful Platner’s agenda. On astir each large issue, helium calls for much of the aforesaid policies that helped make these problems successful the archetypal place.

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That is the statement Maine voters should beryllium having.

Yes, Graham Platner’s controversies rise superior questions astir his judgement and fittingness for office. But the question earlier voters is not lone whether they o.k. of his idiosyncratic conduct. It is whether they judge the policies that person produced Maine’s existent challenges astatine location merit to beryllium elevated to the United States Senate.