\n<\/p>\n
Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner is increasingly confident that he will defeat Gov. Janet Mills in the June primary.<\/p>\n
Platner has a 22% average lead in primary surveys, according to RealClearPolling,<\/a> despite the early days of his campaign being marred by scandal over a now-covered Nazi symbol tattoo and several resurfaced Reddit posts from the early 2010s in which he made demeaning comments about women and proclaimed that he \u201cbecame a communist.\u201d<\/p>\n Platner\u2019s campaign manager Ben Chin told Axios<\/a> that the campaign is \u201cshifting gears and going full steam ahead into the general,\u201d but noted they \u201caren\u2019t taking our foot [off] the gas in the primary.\u201d<\/p>\n Mills is backed by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who sees her as a critical piece to winning back control of the chamber, whereas Platner has garnered the endorsements of Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA).<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re feeling emboldened,\u201d Chin told the outlet.<\/p>\n Mills has gone on the attack against Platner in recent commercials, highlighting his scandals and running with the tagline, \u201cGraham Platner: The closer you look, the worse it gets.\u201d<\/p>\n One advertisement in particular features older, white women reacting to the populist Democrat\u2019s comments on Reddit with disgust, but Platner\u2019s campaign appears to have bounced back following his apology over the posts in the fall.<\/p>\n \u201cThese comments are shameful,\u201d Mills<\/a> continued to hammer the point home via X on March 24. \u201cWhile my opponent was saying this not long ago, I was fighting as Attorney General and Governor to deliver progress for Maine people.\u201d<\/p>\n A Republican strategist familiar with the race told The Daily Wire that the race remains a \u201ctarget-rich environment\u201d that could ultimately benefit Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), who will face off against whoever wins the primary.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not really breaking through for her,\u201d the strategist said regarding the Mills attack ads, adding that it\u2019s \u201cdefinitely not looking good\u201d for the governor\u2019s campaign.<\/p>\n In terms of the overall Republican approach, given Platner\u2019s staying power, the strategist noted that it\u2019s \u201cequal opportunity until the day she drops out\u201d and the Republicans will continue to \u201ckeep hammering on both.\u201d<\/p>\n Collins defeated Democrat Sara Gideon in 2020 with just under 51% compared with Gideon\u2019s roughly 42%. The Cook Political Report<\/a> rates the general election race as a \u201ctoss-up,\u201d along with the contests in North Carolina, Georgia, and Michigan.<\/p>\n Republicans hold a narrow 53-47 majority in the chamber, and a flip could result in radically different policies headed to President Donald Trump\u2019s desk in the second half of his term.<\/p>\n The Daily Wire reached out to the Mills, Platner, and Collins campaigns for comment.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n