Scoop: Platner declares Mills nearly finished in Maine Senate primary
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Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner is making the case that his primary race against Gov. Janet Mills is all but over, a full two months ahead of their primary election on June 9.
Why it matters: The Maine Democratic contest to take on Republican Sen. Susan Collins is one of the messiest primaries in the country, exposing rifts in the party over age, gender and ideology.
- Platner's team told donors and allies that he is pivoting to focus more on the general election and polls show him leading Mills by double digits, according to a Thursday memo seen first by Axios.
- "Another day, another poll with Graham up big in the primary," wrote Platner campaign manager Ben Chin in the message. "We're feeling emboldened."
- "While we aren't taking our foot [off] the gas in the primary, we're shifting gears and going full steam ahead into the general," Chin added.
Zoom in: Platner, a 41-year-old oyster farmer and veteran backed by progressives like Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), is running against Mills, 78, a two-term governor endorsed by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.).
- Facing an uphill battle, Mills has gone negative against Platner, airing ads that feature women criticizing controversial comments he made on social media about rape.
Between the lines: There's an implicit message in the Platner campaign's memo. In their view, Mills' negative ads aren't moving the dial.
- Platner's team doesn't discuss the spots in its note. But since the polls they reference were conducted after the ads began airing three weeks ago, it's clearly their intended takeaway.
- The memo references three recent polls — a mix of public and private surveys — that show Platner ahead by 27 to 38 percentage points. One was paid for by his campaign.
The other side: "Republicans are foaming at the mouth to run against Graham Platner ... Plenty of people have tried to count Janet Mills out in her career, and they've been wrong every time," said Mills Senate campaign spokesperson Tommy Garcia.
- "It is up to Democratic voters to pick the Democratic candidate — our campaign will be prepared to run a substantive, issues-oriented campaign regardless of who the opponent is," said Collins spokesperson Shawn Roderick.
What's next: Platner has begun airing ads slamming Collins, and his team told us there will be more released in the next couple weeks.
- At the same time, a Platner campaign strategist said it will take down an ad pushing back against Mills' negative spots later this week. A similar commercial featuring Platner expressing regret over his previous comments stopped airing on TV last week, according to the ad-tracking firm AdImpact.
- Platner's campaign said that it is also planning upcoming town halls in conservative areas, shifting its field operation to reach more independent voters, and creating new content featuring the candidate speaking with Republicans.
- Platner's team said he will still debate Mills ahead of the June 9 primary election.
