A former Marine and military contractor with several combat tours to Iraq and Afghanistan, who is running as a Democrat to unseat incumbent Maine Sen. Susan Collins (R), is calling for radical left-wing changes to the U.S. Supreme Court. In a campaign video released this week, Graham Platner, a small businessman and oyster farmer, said the court has become a “political action wing” of “conservatism” and should be expanded and packed with leftists.
“We’re going to have to start treating the Supreme Court like the political action wing that it has become of conservatism. It is not functioning as a constitutional body,” Platner claimed to a small group of supporters.
“And it’s very frustrating for me that there are — I think there are Democrats in the Senate that either do not understand or don’t want to understand the power they actually have. And there is — the Senate — if we re — retake the Senate and get the majority — fingers crossed — we need to use every single lever of power that we have to deal with the Supreme Court,” he went on.
“And I think that a lot of that is going to be an ethics oversight. I’m a supporter of stacking the court. I’m also a supporter of — I mean, the Senate can write its own rules. The Senate can come up with its own ethics oversight requirements. It just chooses not to,” he said.
“This is important. And I firmly believe if we held Supreme Court justices to the same standard that we hold other federal judges, there is a compelling case for the impeachment and removal of at least two sitting justices,” he added.
A video posted online contained only the audio portion of his comments, which were reportedly made to supporters in the town of Skowhegan, Maine.
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Platner has been accused of being a socialist and borderline communist, but that hasn’t harmed his polling yet. According to RealClearPolitics, Platner is currently leading Collins by 4.8 points and Platner is currently leading other Democrats ahead of the primary.
Collins, who is seen as the most centrist Republican in the Senate and has been popular in the state for a long time, has won tough races for Republicans in the past. The race is viewed as among the most competitive ahead of the 2026 midterms and is set to draw heavy investment from both major parties.
A new Cygnal survey released on Monday showed Collins behind a generic Democratic candidate. This suggested that extending Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies could help her win over Mainers. Politico was the first to report on the poll.
According to the survey, 41% of those who answered said they would vote for Collins, while 49% said they would vote for a Democrat. The report said that she “starts behind but beats expectations.”
If the Republican senator votes to extend the tax benefits, the election would get closer.
“Collins consistently overperforms the GOP baseline, especially among college-educated women (+8 net), voters over 55 (+6), and swing voters (+10),” the polling memo reads.
The poll revealed that 43% of people would vote for Collins if she votes to prolong the Obamacare tax credits, while 45% would vote for the Democratic candidate. That still gives the Democrats a small edge, but it shows that the battle is close.
CBS News stated that Collins favors their extension but believes they require “reform.”
The Cygnal polling report reads: “Swing voters (+6 net) and a Moderates segment (16% of the electorate)—moderate, female, older, and less college-educated—hold the key to victory. If Collins supports extension, she outperforms Trump’s 2024 ballot share with this Moderate segment by 16 points. If she opposes extension, her support falls to 15 points below Trump’s share.”
