Graham Platner, a veteran and oyster farmer, is challenging Susan Collins for her Senate seat in Maine. He's fighting against the oligarchy and billionaires who control politics, advocating for universal healthcare and economic justice. Will Mainers choose real change over the status quo? #PlatnerForSenate

Julia Conley
Aug 19, 2025

Launching a US Senate run to unseat five-term Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins, oyster farmer Graham Platner on Tuesday made clear in his inaugural ad that beating the “fake” moderate also means taking on the power-hungry billionaire class that has helped keep her in power all these years.

The enemy that the vast majority of Americans and Mainers have in common, said Platner, “is the oligarchy.”

  • dreadbeef@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
    36·
    11 hours ago

    why is he running for senator, not governor or representative? Why not a city council? Why not state senate or house? How is he going to introduce legislation with zero experience in government service? He needs to answer those questions, but his answer is “Im a successful businessman and I will just use morality to introduce bills! I know legal text and thats why I am prepared to fight all of the lawyers who make up the republican side. I have a history of working with others to bring about change by… digging up oysters and getting rich by it?”

    Senators are legislators, not “leaders” who make decisions. If he wants to make main prosperous through his decision making skills, thats the fucking governors job.

    Can he read this and accurately vote for legislation around this legal text? That will benefit mainers? Does he even know how to read this? https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/19/1675b

    That is just one fraction of the US legal code. aka the fucking law of land that republicans are using and abusing to bring about fascism. How can he weaponize it to stop them?

    • gravitas_deficiency@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
      6·
      10 hours ago

      Because the DNC is manifestly incapable of enacting meaningful change, and often simply acts as captive opposition. Mamdani’s campaign is running on largely the same point.

      • dreadbeef@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
        13·
        10 hours ago

        mamdani isn’t pretending to be a legislator either. He’s actually doing something to benefit others with an actual plan. Becoming a legislator isn’t a plan. This oyster farmers plan is to become a legislator to enact what new legislation? Who is his team of legal code experts to do his job for him? “I have legislation ready to help maine, for example I will introduce a new bill to do x y and z for mainers and can be achieved in a bipartisan manner because of my experience in a b and c” that is what a leader in legislation does. Oyster farmers just say “its time to end corruption by voting for me!”