Jordan Wood should be a lot more viable now that Platner’s shine seems to have faded a bit. One would think we would have learned by now that when they tell you who they are, you had better believe them. Never forget, trump was a populist candidate back in 2015 too. You cannot be all things to all people in a functioning Democracy like ours is supposed to be. This country ran on making compromises for decades; some good, some not so good but the work got done for the overall betterment of the country. Look at where populism has gotten us today. We have got to get smarter about those we elect to office or we’re sunk.
Interesting that you didn’t mention Jordan Wood. I know he’s polled quite low (around 8%, I think), but it looks like he’ll be a factor in the race, especially if there are three candidates and ranked choice voting applies. It’s such a strange time, though, isn’t it? Anything but normal, so I expect many swings in the coming months.
That's a good point. It's possible Wood has an opportunity to surge and, note, there are other candidates who have declared. Every so often I hear that someone else may get in. So we'll just have to wait and see.
Of course the question in these dire times is which Democratic candidate might be most likely to win against Collins given our complicated Maine population demographics. Below are two more sources to add to the discussion.
I've wondered about Genevieve McDonald's outspoken criticism of Platner since leaving his campaign three days after Mills announced. I've wondered about the proportion & timeline of Platner's questionable online posts over the last two decades - & whether they've been objectively researched thoroughly enough to possibly conclude that these publicized "catches" were cherry-picked to portray a few indiscretions at his acknowledged difficult life moments when he was painfully questioning many things he once believed. Many young Democrats will have a social media history of this kind of questioning & venting out loud. Most Democrats appreciate & value a "growth mindset" in their leaders & can understand genuine explanations of mistaken ideas that have resulted in genuine redemption & greater clarity.
I also think about the evolving (actually, devolving) collective psychology of today's electorate. Where once we dared hope that anyone well-qualified & experienced (like Mills) could be elected to office, we have seen the relentless, curated propaganda tearing down virtues like integrity, intellect, empathy, compassion, & strength in anyone who is not a white male. If we are trying to reach as many independents, younger generation voters, & non-voters as possible to save our democracy, it could be that we desperately need more charismatic, outspoken, loud, fighting, "alpha" leaders (a veteran's experience is a bonus) for the emotional appeal on issues that many voters today have shown they will respond to.
I've wondered about the numerical question of Maine's older demographic who have shown themselves to be more likely to vote, especially for a "conventional" candidate, versus a possible increase in enthusiastic new younger voters & leaders if given a candidate they can relate to more.
Jordan Wood should be a lot more viable now that Platner’s shine seems to have faded a bit. One would think we would have learned by now that when they tell you who they are, you had better believe them. Never forget, trump was a populist candidate back in 2015 too. You cannot be all things to all people in a functioning Democracy like ours is supposed to be. This country ran on making compromises for decades; some good, some not so good but the work got done for the overall betterment of the country. Look at where populism has gotten us today. We have got to get smarter about those we elect to office or we’re sunk.
Interesting that you didn’t mention Jordan Wood. I know he’s polled quite low (around 8%, I think), but it looks like he’ll be a factor in the race, especially if there are three candidates and ranked choice voting applies. It’s such a strange time, though, isn’t it? Anything but normal, so I expect many swings in the coming months.
That's a good point. It's possible Wood has an opportunity to surge and, note, there are other candidates who have declared. Every so often I hear that someone else may get in. So we'll just have to wait and see.
Of course the question in these dire times is which Democratic candidate might be most likely to win against Collins given our complicated Maine population demographics. Below are two more sources to add to the discussion.
I've wondered about Genevieve McDonald's outspoken criticism of Platner since leaving his campaign three days after Mills announced. I've wondered about the proportion & timeline of Platner's questionable online posts over the last two decades - & whether they've been objectively researched thoroughly enough to possibly conclude that these publicized "catches" were cherry-picked to portray a few indiscretions at his acknowledged difficult life moments when he was painfully questioning many things he once believed. Many young Democrats will have a social media history of this kind of questioning & venting out loud. Most Democrats appreciate & value a "growth mindset" in their leaders & can understand genuine explanations of mistaken ideas that have resulted in genuine redemption & greater clarity.
I also think about the evolving (actually, devolving) collective psychology of today's electorate. Where once we dared hope that anyone well-qualified & experienced (like Mills) could be elected to office, we have seen the relentless, curated propaganda tearing down virtues like integrity, intellect, empathy, compassion, & strength in anyone who is not a white male. If we are trying to reach as many independents, younger generation voters, & non-voters as possible to save our democracy, it could be that we desperately need more charismatic, outspoken, loud, fighting, "alpha" leaders (a veteran's experience is a bonus) for the emotional appeal on issues that many voters today have shown they will respond to.
I've wondered about the numerical question of Maine's older demographic who have shown themselves to be more likely to vote, especially for a "conventional" candidate, versus a possible increase in enthusiastic new younger voters & leaders if given a candidate they can relate to more.
Sigh... Where's our crystal ball??
https://theqsjournal.substack.com/p/who-is-genevieve-mcdonald-graham.
https://jacobin.com/2025/10/platner-maine-senate-reddit-media?fbclid=IwY2xjawNvHctleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFQb280aE9EV29LeTAxNEd3AR4wBH4Q9-pJIzs3uQ0_Ii33aVGtRg2n6FZflJ2EMLVXlNEsFkk5bNeMFezgMw_aem_AyCD8d3ot19DRR3iUyTVyQ