One Tweet That Throws Cold Water on the Latest Maine Poll

Matt Vespa | March 16, 2026 6:30 AM

It’s too early for this nonsense, guys. New polling shows Graham Platner, the Maine oyster farmer with Nazi tattoos, leading by seven points over incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins. So what? It’s March. Some on the Left are claiming that Platner is winning. I don’t know what that means—he hasn’t even won the Democratic primary (via News Maine Center):

A new statewide survey of Maine voters by Pan Atlantic Research finds oyster farmer and military veteran Graham Platner favored by Democratic primary voters over Governor Janet Mills, and Platner polling better than Mills in hypothetical matchups with incumbent Republican Senator Susan Collins.
The poll published Wednesday surveyed 810 likely, registered voters from a randomly selected sample of 1,120 Mainers between Feb. 13 and March 2, with “likely” meaning respondents said they are "certain," "very likely," or "likely" to vote in the November general election.
Of the 367 likely Democratic primary voters, 46% preferred Platner, 39% preferred Mills, 11% were unsure, and 4% preferred David Costello.
The results represent a 17% swing toward Platner since Pan Atlantic Research’s last poll, in December, when Mills was up 10%.
Platner’s advantage in the primary comes from male and younger voters. Democratic men preferred Platner over Mills 52% to 3%. The candidates were tied among women at 41%.
Democratic voters aged 18-34 preferred Platner over Mills 61% to 24%. The 35-54 cohort preferred Platner over Mills, 45% to 38%. Voters over 55 preferred Mills over Platner, 43% to 40%.