Up north in Maine, a working-class oyster farmer & military veteran Graham Platner announced his run for Senate in 2026, running to take the state’s second congressional district from Republican Senator Susan Collins. He is a strong, confident family man who cares about his neighbors; wanting what is best for them no matter who they are. He hopes to uplift people and bring about a better future for the people in Maine. I believe that Graham Platner is not only the best candidate for Senate but also should be the new face of the Democratic Party. A party that stands for working people no matter who they are, that does not accept political bribery from anyone and is dedicated to making sure that anyone in America can be successful and live the American dream.
In an interview with Ali Velshi on MSNBC, Platner said that “I’m just trying to give a damn about my community” and that “we need to send regular working people up to Washington to represent regular working people.” As of one Newsweek article from Aug. 7, the Democratic Party has dropped to a three-decade decline in favorability, with many democrat voters being unsatisfied with current party leadership and wanting new voices who represent them. The consensus for most people is that the Democratic party is out of touch and does not understand what its voters want and what they are struggling with currently, as well as not understanding why people are angry at them and their methods of leadership, or lack thereof. I believe Graham Platner should be one of those new voices.
Many people have been slowly losing faith within the Democratic Party whether that be from the disappointment of the term of Former President Barack Obama or the apparent favoritism from its leaders, many people feel that the Democratic Party does not represent them and is out of touch with their voters. The Democratic party seems like it has forgotten that this is not the Obama era or the 2017 trump #resistance era anymore. Empty gestures and symbolism are not enough for people. There needs to be more done for people who are realizing they won’t be able to afford a home, who are struggling to get groceries in their fridge and food on their table. It is abundantly clear that the neoliberal status quo is failing and not working for most Americans. I believe for them to represent their voters better and actually be able to stand for something, somebody like Platner should be the one to lead them and push politics forward.
He has many proposals on his platform, but the ones for me that stand out the most are:
First, ending billionaire tax dodging. Despite being a very popular policy that 63% of people support, it is very hard to get through the federal government because of the influence that big money has gained throughout the past few decades. His plan is to create a baseline tax rate for the richest people in the country that they are not allowed to go under. This plan would be monumental in healing the damage that was done from decades of trickle-down economics. Platner also has a similar plan for small businesses where he will work to make sure that large conglomerates like Amazon are not paying a lower tax rate than smaller businesses that may be at risk of closure, effectively breaking up the monopolies that currently have a hold on our country.
Second, decisive action on the housing crisis. Platner wants to expand the Veteran Affairs home loan program, making housing more accessible to veterans. And more so, he wants to try to bring back federal support for all new homeowners, since an influx of private equity and investment capital interests have been artificially shrinking the supply of housing on the market.
Third, and finally, rebuilding our failing healthcare system. Platner is someone who believes that healthcare is a human right, and nobody should have to join the military or fight in war to have access to it. The healthcare system in America does not work for people and needs reform to, bare minimum, pick up a similar model to most other developed countries. Platner is going to try his best to stop subsidizing of drug companies and the allowing of price gouging for drugs and medicine. He is also a firm believer in Medicare for all and will fight for this in the senate.
If working class people in America are going to have a prosperous future, it will be from progressives like Platner. If the Democratic Party is going to have a future in America, it will be because of people like him who reshape the Democrats into the party of the working class. Many Democrat politicians have shown concern with “reaching across the aisle” and “reaching young men” and Platner is someone who does that every day as an oyster farmer who understands their struggles. If the Democratic Party is going to want to have a future and have people excited for them, this new progressive wing of the party is the answer, whether they like it or not.
Graham Platner is someone who I believe puts humanity first and understands on a fundamental level the problems people face and what the solutions should be. He does not need a high-paid consultant to explain it to him with data sets, social media posts and news articles. I believe that your political representatives should be representing you, and if you live in Maine and you think that working class people deserve to be comfortable and have a decent quality of life, I suggest that you vote for Graham Platner during the Senate election.