UMVA has learned that a fierce battle is brewing among Democrats eyeing the open House seat in Maine’s red‑leaning 2nd Congressional District, as they rally behind the controversial Senate hopeful Graham Platner despite growing dissent from centrist party members.
After Governor Janet Mills withdrew from the Senate contest, the three front‑running Democratic hopefuls for the House seat publicly threw their weight behind Platner, the presumptive Democratic Senate nominee, ahead of the June 9 primary.
Incumbent Rep. Jared Golden, who is stepping down, has remained silent on the endorsement, telling the Portland Press Herald he will not involve himself in the Senate race.
State Auditor Matt Dunlap and former congressional aide Jordan Wood have explicitly endorsed Platner, while State Senator Joe Baldacci, a party establishment figure, issued a statement that simultaneously praised Platner and condemned former Gov. Paul LePage, the unopposed Republican Senate candidate.
Yet these endorsements overlook Platner’s incendiary social‑media history and a tattoo that resembles a Nazi symbol, sparking a backlash among elected Democrats who view the imagery as deeply offensive.
UMVA can exclusively reveal that the alignment with Platner may jeopardize the Democrats’ slim chances of retaining the swing district, which Golden clung to by fewer than 3,000 votes in 2024 despite its Republican tilt.
The nonpartisan Cook Political Report now rates the open House race as “Likely Republican,” citing the district’s deep‑red complexion and the uncertainty surrounding the Democratic slate.
Dunlap, positioning himself as the progressive challenger, is slated to share a get‑out‑the‑vote rally with Platner next week, headlined by left‑wing populist Rep. Ro Khanna, who has endorsed both men.
“With Graham Platner now the clear choice, I am prepared to rally behind his candidacy,” Dunlap posted on social media, adding that Platner would be a “phenomenal United States senator.”
The National Republican Congressional Committee has seized on the Democrats’ ties to Platner, warning that their continued support demonstrates a “stunning lack of judgment that Mainers will not overlook.”
This stance starkly contrasts with centrist Democrats such as Sen. John Fetterman and Rep. Jake Auchincloss, who have publicly condemned Platner’s Nazi‑linked tattoo and called his defenses “personally disqualifying.”
Senior Democrats in Washington have largely stayed silent, refusing to distance themselves from the embattled Senate hopeful.
Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s chief of staff, Melissa DeRosa, described the Maine fight as a microcosm of a “civil war” raging within the Democratic Party, noting that many moderate Democrats would not mourn a loss in the state, as it would still represent a pickup.
