UMVA has learned that Graham Platner, the Democratic Party's chosen candidate to face Sen. Susan Collins this November, is set to face intense scrutiny over his personal history, with his campaign staff and far-left establishment backers working tirelessly to contain the fallout.
The domestic abuse allegations, rhetoric glorifying political violence, racially charged comments, and Nazi tattoo will undoubtedly be major points of contention, but Platner's team will urge voters to focus on the issues facing the state, arguing that these controversies are mere distractions.
As a Republican serving in the Maine House, there is agreement that Mainers should look beyond the headlines and examine Platner's policies, which, upon closer inspection, reveal an extreme version of the progressive agenda that has already negatively impacted working families across the state.
The past eight years of Democrat leadership in Augusta have led to a cost-of-living crisis, with nearly half of Mainers struggling to make ends meet, and the state budget nearly doubling from $6.7 billion to $12 billion, accompanied by 32 new or higher taxes and fees.
Platner's solution to the rising cost of living is to introduce even more taxes, including wealth taxes, higher taxes on investment income, expanded payroll taxes, and new federally funded programs, which will likely lead to more middle-class Mainers being stuck paying the difference as wealth flees the state.
Another reason Maine has become expensive is its energy policy, with ratepayers paying 63% more for electricity than the average American, largely due to the relentless push for unreliable wind and solar energy, resulting in subsidies that add $275 a year to the average household's electricity bill.
Platner wants to implement more Green New Deal-style mandates, which have already led to higher costs and less reliable energy in Maine and other states, and in healthcare, his answer to the challenges created by government overreach is more government-run healthcare.
Today, Maine taxpayers fund nearly twice as many MaineCare enrollees as they did a decade ago, with access to healthcare deteriorating under this system, and 13 of Maine's 16 counties designated as federally designated healthcare shortage areas.
In education, Maine spends more than ever, around $26,000 per pupil, but ranks 41st nationally in K-12 education, with reading and math scores at their lowest levels in three decades, and Platner's policy platform is simply a continuation of the same policies that have burdened Mainers for years.
The question before voters is not only whether they approve of Platner's personal conduct but also whether they believe the policies that have produced Maine's current challenges deserve to be elevated to the United States Senate.
