Republicans may be publicly using Graham Platner’s exit from Maine’s Senate race to ratchet up their attacks on Democrats, but behind the scenes, his withdrawal is hardly being viewed as good news for Sen. Susan Collins’ reelection campaign.
According to a person familiar with the campaign’s thinking, granted anonymity to discuss it, Collins’ team had long viewed Platner as a uniquely vulnerable opponent whose personal controversies could help offset one of the biggest challenges she faces in 2026: running as a blue-state Republican in the Trump era.
“She can certainly win, but they didn’t want to change candidates,” the person familiar with the campaign’s thinking said. “The stuff we already knew about Platner was going to propel Collins to overcome the Trump anchor. Now it’s going to be a Democrat with a cleaner record, presumably.”
Collins’ campaign didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment, and it has not weighed in publicly since Platner announced the suspension of his campaign.
From the Collins campaign’s perspective, Platner offered an unusually favorable contrast.
They believed his baggage would have given Collins an opportunity to shift voters’ attention away from national politics and toward questions about his character.
Instead, Maine Democrats now have the opportunity to nominate a candidate with a cleaner profile, raising the prospect of a more conventional general election in which Collins will have to confront the same challenges facing other Republican incumbents.
A flash poll conducted by Platner’s own campaign and obtained by POLITICO Wednesday bore this out: Platner trailed Collins in the poll, while three likely Democratic candidates who lost their gubernatorial primary last month led or were statistically tied with her.
The Collins campaign remains confident the senator can win another term, according to the person familiar with its thinking. But Platner’s withdrawal removes what allies viewed as one of Collins’ clearest advantages.
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