Senate candidate Graham Platner told voters in Maine that working Americans should not bear the moral burden for environmental damage caused largely by corporations. Speaking to a local audience this week, Platner stressed that ordinary people are not “bad” for participating in everyday activities like driving cars or using plastic straws. “You didn’t destroy the environment,” he said, “Driving your car to exist in our society, you’re not a bad person for doing that. You’re not a bad person for using a plastic straw.”
Platner argued that the real responsibility lies with the corporations and structures that have profited from environmental harm for decades. He criticized government subsidies that continue to benefit those same polluting companies, saying, “The people that destroyed the environment are the ones that we’re still giving subsidies to…much of that guilt gets put down on working people.” He urged that corporations be held financially accountable, insisting, “If you broke it, you buy it…they’re gonna have to buy us the future we need to deal with the problems of climate change.”
The people who destroyed the environment are the ones who should pay for it.
— Graham Platner for Senate (@grahamformaine) February 16, 2026
Instead we're still giving them subsidies. pic.twitter.com/mSX3FkMfUx
A Marine and U.S. Army veteran, Platner has built a career both in public service and small business. After multiple combat deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan, he returned to Maine and took over an oyster farm in his hometown of Sullivan, expanding it into a thriving local business. He also serves as Harbormaster and chair of the Sullivan Planning Board.
Platner is running to unseat Republican Sen. Susan Collins, framing his campaign as a fight not just against the senator but against the billionaire class that he says controls Washington. His platform focuses on combating corporate influence in politics, promoting economic opportunities for working Americans, and addressing climate change through accountability for polluting corporations.
My name is Graham Platner and I’m running for US Senate to defeat Susan Collins and topple the oligarchy that’s destroying our country.
— Graham Platner for Senate (@grahamformaine) August 19, 2025
I’m a veteran, oysterman, and working class Mainer who’s seen this state become unlivable for working people. And that makes me deeply angry. pic.twitter.com/QZfAm528N1
In addition to his environmental and economic proposals, Platner emphasizes grassroots engagement. His campaign website invites Mainers to join what he calls the “Grahampaign” to build a movement capable of challenging entrenched interests and restoring political power to ordinary citizens.
Raised this quarter:
— Graham Platner for Senate (@grahamformaine) January 31, 2026
🟥 Senator Susan Collins: $2.2 million
🟦 Governor Janet Mills: $2.7 million
🟦 Oyster farmer Graham Platner: $4.6 million
According to campaign finance reports, Platner raised $4.6 million this quarter, outpacing both Collins, who raised $2.2 million, and Democratic Governor Janet Mills, who raised $2.7 million.
