Warren endorses combat veteran Graham Platner over Gov Janet Mills

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., is supporting newcomer Graham Platner in Maine’s Democratic primary in June, a crucial matchup that will determine who faces incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins in November.

Warren’s endorsement, announced Wednesday in a video statement released by Platner’s campaign, is a significant boost for Platner as he continues to gain ground in the race against his primary rival, Gov. Janet Mills, who has the full support of party leadership.

Citing his roots as an oyster farmer and his service as a veteran, Warren presented Platner as a hardworking outsider who would be a natural disruptor in Washington.

By emphasizing that he won’t just “get along for the sake of getting along,” she drew a stark contrast with Mills, whom progressives increasingly characterize as a creature of the party establishment.

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Maine U.S. Senatorial candidate Graham Platner speaks during a town hall at the Leavitt Theater on October 22, 2025, in Ogunquit, Maine. (Sophie Parc/Getty Images)

“I support Graham Platner because I know he fights on behalf of working families and because he doesn’t take corporate PAC money, and we need more people here in Washington who are less willing to agree and more willing to fight to make the kind of changes that families need,” Warren said.

“Graham knows the consequences of Donald Trump sending our military to fight endless wars in the Middle East,” she added. “He’s a veteran who was deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan.”

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Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Democrat of Mass., speaks during a Senate Armed Services Committee confirmation hearing in Washington on January 14, 2025. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Warren’s endorsement comes at a critical time for Platner’s populist, progressive campaign after a series of controversies surfaced in recent weeks and added new scrutiny to her candidacy.

The Mills campaign recently launched a massive ad buy highlighting controversial comments Platner allegedly made on Reddit more than a decade ago, including crude remarks about sexual assault and a tattoo on his chest that resembled a Nazi symbol.

Platner has since apologized and addressed the tattoo, while firing back at Mills, calling his ad a “desperate” attempt by a governor “who is trailing an oyster farmer in every recent poll.”

Warren also acknowledged Platner’s Reddit posts during an interview with HuffPost on Thursday, noting that she believed his apology was sincere.

“Look, he apologized for that and he talks to the people of Maine every day,” Warren said.

The winner of the June 9 primary will challenge Collins, a Republican senator from a state who did not vote for Donald Trump in any of his three presidential campaigns.

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Senator Susan Collins, Republican of Maine, leaves the Capitol in Washington on July 24, 2025. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo)

While Republicans hold a slim majority in the Senate, Democrats view Maine as one of their best opportunities to flip seats, prompting national groups to invest millions in the race and turn the race into a proxy battle for control of the U.S. Senate.

Amid broader concerns about the current political climate in Maine and the state’s ranked-choice voting system, Collins faces a significant challenge in his bid to secure a sixth term.