Mills' new ad highlights Graham Platner's past comments about rape
Mills launched a negative ad against Platner over his past comments about sexual assault.

SOURCE CHECK
TAP FOR WHYCredibility rates Lewiston Sun Journal, which carries this article. The other scores rate the article itself. The average of 3 rated stories from Lewiston Sun Journal.
Credibility rates Lewiston Sun Journal, which carries this article. The other scores rate the article itself. The average of 3 rated stories from Lewiston Sun Journal.
HOW WE SCORE ↗The report provides specific details about the ad and quotes multiple participants, including Platner’s apology and his campaign’s response. It gives some campaign context, but does not directly link to the ad or independently examine the underlying posts.
HOW WE SCORE ↗The article describes the attack ad in detail but also includes Platner’s apology and his campaign’s criticism of Mills. It offers relevant competing views, though the ad’s content receives more description than the response.
- Counterarguments presented — Platner’s apology and his spokesperson’s criticism of the ad are included.
- Source diversity — The report quotes a campaign spokesperson and a former candidate, and describes the ad’s reactions.
- Omitted context — The article does not link to the original posts or provide the full ad for readers to assess directly.
- Loaded language — The article mainly attributes charged characterizations to campaign speakers or the ad.
The article reports the ad’s claims and imagery alongside Platner’s apology and his campaign’s criticism, without an evident partisan verdict of its own.
- Language tone — Mostly descriptive language, with the ad’s stronger phrases presented as quotations.
- Source selection — Includes responses from Platner’s campaign and a supporter cited by Mills’ campaign.
- Framing — Frames the story as a development in the Democratic primary and describes the ad’s tactics.
Republished
Republished from Portland Press Herald. ChamberLight matched this page's text to Portland Press Herald's article.
158 stories · 77.6–78.4 · updated Oct 13, 2026
This is Portland Press Herald's own score, and this article is credited to Portland Press Herald. The host score in the Source Check is Lewiston Sun Journal's.
Republished by Centralmaine.com
Janet Mills launched a campaign ad targeting Graham Platner over his past Reddit comments about sexual assault. Platner apologized at a news conference, while his campaign called the ad a desperate attack in Maine’s Democratic Senate primary.
Mills launched the ad against Platner over Reddit posts he made in 2013 that blamed victims of sexual assault. The spot quotes the posts, shows women reacting to them, and closes with an image of Platner and a narrator saying, “The closer you look, the worse it gets.” The article describes it as Mills’ first negative ad of the cycle and a more aggressive phase of her campaign. Republicans have pledged at least $42 million to help incumbent Susan Collins retain her seat.
Platner’s spokesperson, Ben Chin, called the ad a desperate attempt to undermine Platner and said Mills was spending resources attacking a fellow Democrat. Platner has disavowed the old posts and said they reflected his struggles after military service; at a news conference, he said he was horrified by them and apologized. The Mills campaign also highlighted a statement from former Senate candidate Daira Smith-Rodriguez, who said she could not support someone who questioned the reality of military sexual assault.
Community verdict
5 VOTESCounts every outlet’s report of this story. See all 27
Votes cast on this page
Votes cast on this page: ▲ 0 · ◆ 0 · ▼ 0
People in this story
SWIPE →Maine governor and Democratic Senate candidate who launched an ad targeting Graham Platner
Maine Democratic Senate candidate targeted by Mills’ ad who responded at a news conference
Platner's version of this story ↗Republican senator and potential general-election opponent of the Democratic primary winner
Part of a bigger story
11 OUTLETSOutlets agree Mills aired an ad criticizing Platner’s past online comments and that Platner responded with an ad of his own. Center outlets focus on Mills’s ad and her defense of it, including its appeal to women voters. Right-leaning outlets emphasize Platner’s response and apology, describing the exchange as a more negative turn in the primary.
- ARTICLES
- 27
- OUTLETS
- 11
- AVG CRED
- 74
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