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In attacking Graham Platner, Maine Gov. Janet Mills hopes women will energize her U.S. Senate bid

Platner rejected the views in his old post and apologized at an event responding to Mills’s ad.

In attacking Graham Platner, Maine Gov. Janet Mills hopes women will energize her U.S. Senate bid
Image · Maine Public

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Outlet credibilityMaine Public80/100 HIGH
This article1 analysis · Oct 8, 2026
Mar 18, 2026
tl;dr

Maine Gov. Janet Mills launched an attack ad using Graham Platner’s resurfaced 2013 Reddit post as the Democratic Senate primary becomes a contest over women voters. Platner disavowed the post at an event responding to the ad, while the article also surveys Maine’s gubernatorial primaries and a proposed transgender-athlete referendum.

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Democratic U.S. Senate candidate whose old post was featured in Mills’s ad

PRIMARY SUBJECT

Maine governor and Democratic U.S. Senate candidate who launched an attack ad against Graham Platner

Mills's version of this story ↗
Nirav Shah
D · ME

Candidate for governor who qualified for the Democratic primary

Susan M. Collins
R · ME · SEN

Republican U.S. senator whom Mills and Platner hope to defeat in November

Candidate for governor who qualified for the Democratic primary

Candidate for governor who qualified for the Democratic primary

Angus S. King, Jr.
I · ME · SEN

U.S. senator from Maine and father of gubernatorial candidate Angus King III

ALSO MENTIONED  Angus King III, Democratic candidate for governor; Benjamin Midgley, Republican candidate for governor and fitness executive; Bobby Charles, Republican candidate for governor; David Jones, Republican candidate for governor and real estate broker from Falmouth; Garrett Mason, Republican candidate for governor and former Republican legislative leader; Hannah Pingree, Candidate for governor who qualified for the Democratic primary; James Libby, Republican candidate for governor and state senator; Jessica Mackler, President of EMILY’s List and a Mills campaign surrogate; Jonathan Bush, Republican candidate for governor; Owen McCarthy, Republican candidate for governor and founder of a medical technology firm; Robert Wessels, Republican candidate for governor and retail store manager; Valli Geiger, Maine state representative who spoke on Platner’s behalf

Part of a bigger story

11 OUTLETS
Graham Platner Releases Ads Responding to Janet Mills’ Criticism

Outlets agree Janet Mills criticized Graham Platner over old online comments in an ad, and Platner answered with ads of his own. Center outlets describe the dispute through Mills’s ad and Platner’s response, with some attention to her appeal to women voters and the candidates’ primary contest. Right-leaning outlets present his response ad and apology as part of a more negative turn in the primary.

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