Political newcomer Graham Platner has more than twice the support of Gov. Janet Mills among Democratic primary voters, according to the first public polling on the race that could determine who challenges U.S. Sen. Susan Collins for her seat in 2026.
The poll released Thursday by the University of New Hampshire Survey Center showed 58% of Democratic primary voters said they plan to support Platner, a military veteran and oyster farmer from Hancock County, while 24% favored Mills, who is nearing the end of her second term as governor.
The survey of just under 1,100 Maine residents, including 510 likely Democratic primary voters, was conducted between Oct. 16-21 and had a margin of error of plus or minus 3%. It was conducted mostly before revelations surfaced about Platner’s controversial online statements and his Nazi-linked tattoo.
In addition to the Senate race, participants also were asked about the high-profile 2nd Congressional District race between incumbent U.S. Rep. Jared Golden and Republican Paul LePage, and about the two statewide referendums on the ballot next month.
In the 2nd District race, 49% said they would vote for LePage while 44% picked Golden. The poll did not ask voters to choose between Golden and his Democratic primary challenger, Matthew Dunlap, or between Dunlap and LePage. The margin of error was slightly higher among the sampling of 2nd District voters, at plus or minus 4.2%.
The Senate race, while still a full year away, already is drawing lots of interest as Democrats view Collins as vulnerable and have targeted her seat as a key pickup opportunity. Platner immediately drew national attention after entering the race in August, but his campaign has been tested by a series of controversial revelations that came to light after Mills entered the race last week.
Around the time the poll was being conducted, CNN first reported on a series of inflammatory Reddit posts Platner made five years ago in which he said he was a communist, stated that “all cops are bastards” and said that white, rural Americans “actually are” racist and stupid. In other posts from 2013, Platner downplayed concerns about sexual assault in the military, according to reporting by the Washington Post.
Then on Monday, Platner revealed on the progressive podcast Pod Save America that he has a tattoo on his chest resembling a Nazi symbol called a Totenkopf. Platner has since said that he had the tattoo covered up.
The new poll does not address the recent controversies facing Platner’s campaign.
Andrew Smith, director of the UNH Survey Center and a professor of political science, said it’s still early to say what impact they could have on his campaign, especially since many voters are not paying close attention to the election yet.
“I think a lot of the Platner stuff that’s coming out, it’s not going to sink in until people have heard it multiple times,” Smith said. “There will have to be a lot of repeating of those charges. The things he’s said will have to be front and center, and they’ll have to be things that tick off voters.”
Platner holds a wide lead among younger voters compared to Mills, according to the poll, which may reflect concerns that Mills, who is 77 and would be the oldest freshman senator to take office if elected, is too old to run for the seat.
But Mills also had a slightly higher favorability among voters overall, with 65% viewing her favorably compared to 60% for Platner. Other Democratic candidates, including former congressional staffer Jordan Wood, had favorability ratings of 15% or less and 1% or less support in the primary.
A major reason Mills is trailing Platner in the primary may be because her approval rating among Maine Democrats has fallen in recent months. According to those polled, 55% of all Maine residents disapprove of Mills’ handling of her job while 43% approve and 12% neither approve or disapprove or are unsure. Among Democrats, 83% approve of Mills’ performance, down from 94% in August.
The poll did not ask voters the reasons why they approve or disapprove of Mills, but her drop in support comes after the governor saw a slight uptick in overall approval earlier this year. That was around the time she publicly clashed with President Donald Trump over the rights of transgender athletes. An April survey from UNH found that Mills’ opposition to Trump and her handling of LGBTQ issues were the leading drivers of support and opposition for the governor at the time.
Smith said the uptick in support that Mills’ experienced following her standing up to Trump was more of a “sugar rush” than a permanent sign that support for the governor has increased. He said some Democrats lately may also be turned off by her opposition to the red flag referendum on the November ballot, which could explain the recent drop in approval ratings among Democrats.
In the 2nd District, only 51% of Democrats polled believe Golden, a Democrat running for a fifth term, deserves to be reelected. Golden is being challenged by LePage, a former two-term Republican governor, and also faces a primary contest from Dunlap, the state auditor and former secretary of state.
The 5-point lead for LePage at this stage suggests Golden could be facing his toughest reelection test yet.
Although the poll did not ask voters about a Dunlap-LePage matchup or about the Golden-Dunlap primary race, 2nd District voters are generally divided on Dunlap. Among those surveyed, 18% reported having a favorable opinion of him, 23% were neutral, 16% unfavorable and 44% said they didn’t know enough about him to decide.
This story will be updated.
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