Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) endorsed populist veteran Graham Platner in Maine&#8217;s Democratic Senate primary on Thursday, further intensifying an already contentious race against Gov. Janet Mills.
Platner has also been backed by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), while Mills is supported by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY). The winner will face incumbent Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) in the November general election, which is expected to be competitive and costly.
“Graham Platner is the real deal,” Warren <a href="https://x.com/grahamformaine/status/2034603306404765726">said</a> in a video announcement. “He’s a fighter, and he’s ready to take that fight to Washington.”
Warren argued that Platner could help Democrats reclaim the Senate majority, currently held by Republicans, 53-47.
“Graham Platner has the grit to go against the grain and to fight for what is right,&#8221; she added, saying Platner exhibits the “fighting spirit that the Democratic Party needs now more than ever.”
Platner’s campaign faced numerous scandals last fall, including old Reddit posts from 2013 in which he described himself as a “communist” and made demeaning comments about women. He has since apologized for the remarks. He also faced scrutiny over a tattoo that critics said resembled a Nazi symbol, which he later covered.
The Mills campaign made the past Reddit comments a key focus of a new <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/attack-ad-targets-democrat-over-vulgar-past-comments-about-women?author=Cameron+Arcand&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=4&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Attack+Ad+Targets+Democrat+Over+Vulgar+Past+Comments+About+Women">ad</a> released earlier this week, specifically highlighting posts saying women should “act like an adult for f*** sake” and “not get so f***ed up they wind up having sex with someone they don’t mean to.”
“Just no way I could vote for you,” a woman says in the ad.
In response, Platner re-shared a previous apology video from October and said in a post on X that he “was horrified&#8221; by the comments and &#8220;did not recognize the man on the other side of the posts.”
Samantha Cantrell, a National Republican Senatorial Committee spokesperson, said that “Chuck Schumer&#8217;s handpicked candidate is so unpopular in Maine that Elizabeth Warren just endorsed a guy with a Nazi tattoo.”
Despite the past controversies, most polling averages show Platner leading Gov. Mills ahead of the June 9 primary, according to RealClearPolling. The Cook Political Report has the general election race ranked as a “toss-up.”
Collins, who has represented Maine since 1997, won re-election in 2020 with roughly 51% of the vote, defeating Democrat Sara Gideon, who received about 42%.

2024 Democratic National Convention: Day 4

Elizabeth Warren Makes Endorsement In Maine’s Bruising Democratic Senate Primary

2026 election

Congress

Elizabeth Warren

graham platner

janet mills

Maine

Senate

Susan Collins

Maine Democratic Gov. Janet Mills is targeting her populist primary opponent for the U.S. Senate with a new ad highlighting past comments he made on Reddit about women and sexual assault.
The ad, released Tuesday, features multiple women reacting to 2013 posts by Graham Platner in which he said women should “act like an adult for f*** sake” and “not get so f***ed up they wind up having sex with someone they don&#8217;t mean to” if they are fearful of being raped.
“That’s a horrible thing to say,” one woman, identified as Jill from South Portland, says in the ad.
“Just no way I could vote for you,” Peggy from Vassalboro, adds.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/grahamformaine?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@grahamformaine</a> blamed women for sexual assault, saying they should &#8220;take some responsibility for themselves&#8221; and &#8220;act like an adult.&#8221;
Here&#8217;s what Maine women had to say about his words. <a href="https://t.co/sztt7khZ4S">pic.twitter.com/sztt7khZ4S</a>
— Janet Mills (@JanetMillsforME) <a href="https://twitter.com/JanetMillsforME/status/2033861065289732184?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 17, 2026</a></blockquote>
Platner’s campaign dismissed the ad, with his campaign manager saying in a statement that it is “a desperate attempt for relevance from the governor, who is trailing an oyster farmer in every recent poll,&#8221; according to the <a href="https://x.com/aseitzwald/status/2033909477179543759?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Midcoast Villager</a>.
&#8220;Mainers know that Graham should not be defined by the worst thing he said on the internet over a decade ago,&#8221; the campaign manager added.
The comments previously drew backlash when they resurfaced last year. Platner responded at the time with an apology, which he reshared on Tuesday.
&#8220;Back in October, when my past internet comments resurfaced, I read through them. I was horrified and did not recognize the man on the other side of the posts,&#8221; Platner posted on X.
I shared my thoughts and apologies here directly with Mainers. And I’ve been talking with Mainers every day since, at town halls across the state.&#8221;
Platner, who is backed by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), has remained competitive in the primary despite the controversy. Mills has the support of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY).
Earlier on Tuesday, Platner released his own ad taking aim at Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), whom the Democratic nominee will face in the general election in November. The spot features a Maine voter, also named Susan Collins, who supports Platner.
Republicans say the Democrat infighting could benefit Sen. Collins.
“The girls are fighting! It doesn’t matter how the Chuck Schumer vs. Bernie Sanders proxy war ends, because both of these candidates will lose to Susan Collins,” National Republican Senatorial Committee spokesperson Samantha Cantrell told The Daily Wire.
The race is one of four Senate contests currently rated as a “toss-up” by the Cook Political Report, along with North Carolina, Georgia, and Michigan. Republicans hold a 53-47 majority in the chamber.

Graham Platner Maine

Attack Ad Targets Democrat Over Vulgar Past Comments About Women

A controversial Maine Democrat already dogged by questions over a tattoo resembling a Nazi symbol is again under fire after promoting an openly antisemitic conspiracy theorist — the latest episode in a pattern critics say underscores how radical and politically toxic he is.
Graham Platner, a 41-year-old Senate candidate seeking the Democratic nomination to take on incumbent Susan Collins (R-ME), faced backlash this week after amplifying a social media post about a looming war with Iran from Stew Peters, a neo-Nazi influencer known for Holocaust denial and antisemitic rhetoric. Platner <a href="https://www.bangordailynews.com/2026/02/26/politics/elections/graham-platner-stew-peters-post/">later deleted</a> the post, with his campaign claiming it was shared “in error” and removed immediately after discovering it elevated a “despicable account.”
But the incident was not isolated.
In late January, Platner <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/platner-sat-lengthy-interview-antisemitic-075439570.html">appeared</a> for an hour-long interview on Valhalla VFT, a YouTube show hosted by Nate Cornacchia, a retired Green Beret who has promoted conspiracy theories alleging Israeli involvement in high-profile assassinations and suggesting the global war on terror was conducted at the “behest of Israel.” During the interview, Platner described himself as “a longtime fan” of the show and said it was “an absolute pleasure” to appear.
Cornacchia has pushed claims tying Israel to the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk and agreed with assertions that President John F. Kennedy was “probably” killed in a covert joint operation between the CIA and Mossad. Platner’s campaign did not respond to Jewish Insider&#8217;s questions about Cornacchia’s remarks.
The controversy compounds scrutiny Platner has faced since last year over a tattoo on his chest that closely resembled a Totenkopf, the skull-and-crossbones emblem adopted by an infamous Nazi SS unit. Platner <a href="https://www.mainepublic.org/politics/2025-10-22/democratic-senate-hopeful-graham-platner-gets-tattoo-of-nazi-symbol-covered-up">said</a> he received the tattoo while serving in the Marine Corps during a drunken night in Croatia and claimed he was unaware of its historical meaning at the time. The <a href="https://apnews.com/article/maine-platner-senate-trump-mills-tattoo-collins-fa8328a3c8aa5d5e0f34adb379e977b8">Associated Press</a> later confirmed that he had the tattoo covered once the comparison became public, saying he did not want a symbol associated with hate on his body.
“For what it’s worth,” Maine Governor Janet Mills, who’s running against Platner in the Democratic primary for the Senate seat, quipped on <a href="https://x.com/JanetMillsforME/status/2027421147956969915">X</a> amid the controversy, “I don’t have any tattoos.”
In past posts, Platner has described U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East as being overly shaped by “foreign influence,” and has argued that Washington’s alliance structure requires “fundamental rethinking.” Critics say such rhetoric mirrors themes common in online spaces where antisemitic conspiracy theories flourish.
National Republicans have begun to take notice. A spokesperson for the National Republican Senatorial Committee blasted Platner this week, saying Democrats are “flirting with extremism” in a race they view as central to their hopes of regaining Senate control. Allies of Collins have also circulated screenshots of Platner’s deleted posts, arguing they raise serious questions about his judgment.
The Democratic primary race in Maine is expected to be one of the most closely watched Senate contests of the cycle. Democrats view the seat held by moderate Republican Collins as a key pickup opportunity. But Platner’s growing list of controversies, from boosting a neo-Nazi influencer to praising a YouTube host who traffics in antisemitic conspiracies, to the lingering fallout over his tattoo, threatens to complicate that strategy.

Dem Senate Darling Stumbles Into Third Nazi-Related Scandal Of Primary Campaign

Anti-Semitism

Democratic Party

Elections

Politics

Tennessee Sen. Bill Hagerty suggested on Sunday that Democrats’ fight against federal voter ID law is related to the millions of illegal aliens who entered the country under former President Joe Biden.
Hagerty appeared on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures” with host Maria Bartiromo to talk about Republicans’ efforts to pass the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act to enshrine voter ID into federal law.
“The American public are broadly in support of showing voter ID. It&#8217;s a north of 80% issue for the American public. You&#8217;ve got to ask yourself, who are the Democrats in the Senate representing? Over 70% of Democrats want this, yet we won&#8217;t have a single Democrat that will support it. Why is that?” said Hagerty.
The Tennessee Republican pointed to the Democratic push to pass HR-1, a federal overhaul of election law, in the first half of the Biden presidency. Under HR-1, the law would have <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/fact-check-did-house-democrats-vote-ban-voter-id-nationwide-hr-1-1573908">created</a> a workaround for people to avoid voter ID requirements in the dozens of states that have such laws.
Democrats “tried to come in and change to do away with voter ID across the nation, to enlist 16-year-olds to vote, felons to vote, using taxpayer dollars to support campaigns and, frankly, to pay their own candidates,” said Hagerty.
Voter ID requirements are an easy step to take to secure elections that do not unduly burden voters, and a federal law does not affect states’ constitutional duties to set the time, manner, and place of elections, Hagerty said.
The Tennessee Republican then suggested that Democratic resistance to a national voter ID requirement is part of a strategy to bolster Democrats’ chances of winning elections through illegal voting.
“It seems like it should be a no-brainer, but the reason that it&#8217;s not is because the Democrats under the Biden administration flooded this country with tens of millions of illegal aliens,” said Hagerty. “They want chaos in the elections. They want no voter ID. And so you&#8217;ve got to really ask yourselves, who do they represent and why are they trying to do this?”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Today, exclusively on <a href="https://twitter.com/SundayFutures?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SundayFutures</a> with <a href="https://twitter.com/MariaBartiromo?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MariaBartiromo</a>, Tennessee Senator Bill Hagerty <a href="https://twitter.com/BillHagertyTN?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BillHagertyTN</a> spoke about Democrats vowing to filibuster the GOP-Backed Voter ID Bill. <a href="https://twitter.com/FoxNews?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FoxNews</a> <a href="https://t.co/2yy6vpvQb2">pic.twitter.com/2yy6vpvQb2</a>
— SundayMorningFutures (@SundayFutures) <a href="https://twitter.com/SundayFutures/status/2023071779644912091?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 15, 2026</a></blockquote>
The push to pass the SAVE Act received a key promise of support recently from Maine GOP Sen. Susan Collins, giving the SAVE Act majority support in the Senate. Republicans are still far short of the 60-vote threshold to override a filibuster.
Collins gave her support for the GOP election reform measure on the condition that Republicans do not strike down the filibuster to pass it.
“I support the version of the SAVE America Act that recently passed the House,” Collins said in a statement to <a href="https://www.themainewire.com/2026/02/exclusive-susan-collins-backs-save-america-act-but-wont-break-filibuster/">Maine Wire</a>. “The law is clear that in this country only American citizens are eligible to vote in federal elections. In addition, having people provide an ID at the polls, just as they have to do before boarding an airplane, checking into a hotel, or buying an alcoholic beverage, is a simple reform that will improve the security of our federal elections and will help give people more confidence in the results.”

Bill Hagerty

Republican Torches Democrats Over Issue Own Voters Overwhelmingly Back

2026 Midterms

Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) made her re-election bid official Tuesday, unboxing a pair of New Balance running shoes and announcing, “This is perfect for 2026, because I’m running.”
The announcement launches what is expected to be a fiercely competitive general election in Maine following speculation that Collins would retire instead, according to <a href="https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2025/07/16/congress/white-house-collins-maine-00459055" target="_blank" rel="noopener">POLITICO</a>.
The race has already grown contentious, especially in the Democratic primary between Gov. Janet Mills and populist Graham Platner. Platner has drawn scrutiny over past controversies, including a now-removed tattoo featuring a Nazi symbol and old <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/dem-senate-hopeful-called-himself-a-communist-made-racist-comments-in-reddit-posts" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reddit</a> posts in which he described himself as a &#8220;communist.&#8221;
<iframe loading="lazy" title="UNBOXING 2026" width="422" height="750" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/O9N0SkDFjf0?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
“Susan Collins pledged to only serve two terms in the Senate,” Platner said in an <a href="https://x.com/grahamformaine/status/2021225664829886812">X</a> post responding to Collins’ launch. “That’s just one of a hundred reasons she doesn’t deserve a sixth term.”
Governor Mills said Sen. Collins “has had almost three decades to prove that she’s the right leader for Maine in this critical moment — and she&#8217;s failed. Seniority without a backbone is just tenure, and another term won’t fix that. It&#8217;s time for her to go.”
The <a href="https://www.cookpolitical.com/ratings/senate-race-ratings">Cook Political Report</a> currently rates the race as a toss-up. Collins faced a similarly high-stakes contest in 2020, when she defeated Democrat Sara Gideon with nearly 51% of the vote compared to Gideon&#8217;s roughly 42%.
The Republican lawmaker has secured the backing of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, which typically supports incumbents and contenders it views as best to win general elections.
“From protecting Social Security to supporting small businesses, no one works harder and is more dependable at delivering prosperity and opportunity,&#8221; NRSC Chairman Tim Scott said. &#8220;I’m confident Susan will defeat whoever emerges from the messy Democrat primary, because Mainers know they can always count on her.”
Collins has had a complicated relationship with President Donald Trump, who has publicly criticized her and other Republicans over past War Powers Resolution votes and at one point said they &#8220;should never be elected to office again.&#8221;
Despite past tensions, Collins, the chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, stood alongside Trump at the Oval Office signing ceremony last week, along with other lawmakers, as the partial government shutdown ended. She is the lone Republican in New England&#8217;s congressional delegation.

‘I’m Running’: Susan Collins Launches Re-Election Bid As GOP Fights To Hold Crucial Senate Seat

Republicans

Maine Republican Senator Susan Collins said Thursday that Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem confirmed to her that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) had ended “enhanced” operations in her state. 
Collins, who has been critical of the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration, previously urged ICE to “pause” operations in both Minnesota and Maine. 
“While the Department of Homeland Security does not confirm law enforcement operations, I can report that Secretary Noem has informed me that ICE has ended its enhanced activities in the State of Maine,” Collins wrote on X. “There are currently no ongoing or planned large-scale ICE operations here. I have been urging Secretary Noem and others in the Administration to get ICE to reconsider its approach to immigration enforcement in the state.”
Collins added that she appreciated Noem’s “willingness to listen to and consider my recommendations and her personal attention to the situation in Maine. ICE and Customs and Border Patrol will continue their normal operations that have been ongoing here for many years.”
“I will continue to work with the Secretary on efforts to end illegal immigration, drug smuggling, and other transnational criminal activity,” Collins said. 
The Department of Homeland Security  told The Daily Wire that it would &#8220;continue to enforce the law across the country, as we do every day.&#8221;
On Tuesday, Collins<a href="https://x.com/SenatorCollins/status/2016300115116409332"> said</a> that she had spoken with both the White House and Noem about limiting the scope and target of immigration operations in Maine and Minnesota in the wake of the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by federal agents. 
Collins’ call for ICE to pause operations in Maine was echoed by Democrat Governor Janet Mills, who recently demanded that President Donald Trump withdraw ICE agents from Maine. Mills also demanded that ICE&#8217;s funding be cut and that Noem be brought before Congress to testify.
Last week, ICE <a href="https://www.dhs.gov/news/2026/01/21/ice-launches-operation-catch-day-targeting-worst-worst-criminal-illegal-aliens">launched</a> operation “Catch of the Day” in Maine to target illegal immigrants convicted of crimes. Those arrested as part of the operation included illegal immigrants arrested for aggravated assault, false imprisonment, and endangering the welfare of a child, according to DHS. In total, around 200 illegal immigrants were arrested as part of the operation. 
“Governor Mills and her fellow sanctuary politicians in Maine have made it abundantly clear that they would rather stand with criminal illegal aliens than protect law-abiding American citizens,” said Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. “We have launched Operation Catch of the Day to target the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens in the state.”

Senate Advances Plan To End Shutdown After Some Democrats Agree

GOP Senator Says ‘Enhanced’ ICE Operations Have Ended In Maine

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

Kristi Noem

The 2026 midterms are about as high-stakes as elections can be.
Thirty-five Senate seats are up for grabs next November, as are all 435 House seats. Republicans currently hold slim majorities in both houses of Congress — one that could get even slimmer with the<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/marjorie-taylor-greene-is-resigning-heres-what-happens-now?author=Amber+Jo+Cooper&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Marjorie+Taylor+Greene+Is+Resigning.+Here%E2%80%99s+What+Happens+Now." target="_blank" rel="noopener"> coming resignation</a> of Marjorie Taylor Greene. The results of the elections could shape the final two years of President Donald Trump&#8217;s time in the White House. The midterms will also loom over the 2028 presidential election, particularly for Democrats, who do not have an obvious candidate waiting in the wings.
We&#8217;re still a ways out, but many of the most crucial races are already heating up. Here are five races to keep an eye on.
<h3>Texas</h3>
The cycle&#8217;s most heated election began months ago when Trump ally and Texas Attorney General <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ken-paxton-to-probe-womens-weightlifting-competition-after-trans-identified-athlete-wins-gold?author=Tim+Pearce&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Ken+Paxton+To+Probe+Women%E2%80%99s+Weightlifting+Competition+After+Trans-Identified+Athlete+Wins+Gold" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ken Paxton</a> announced a challenge to longtime Sen. John Cornyn.
Paxton has argued that Cornyn is too establishment to continue representing the state, saying that “Cornyn’s Swamp friends are spending tens of millions of dollars to attack me.&#8221; Cornyn in turn has called Paxton a “conman and a fraud,&#8221; the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-senate-paxton-cornyn-bc9dcc271c97ad1d724383397e5807c6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Associated Press</a> reported earlier this year.
The winner of that primary will face off against either Colin Allred, a former congressman, or State Rep. James Talarico, who made national headlines in 2021 when he and a group of Democrat colleagues <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/democrats-who-fled-texas-to-subvert-democracy-mocked-for-playing-victim-card-you-guys-are-pathetic" target="_blank" rel="noopener">fled Texas</a> to prevent the state legislature from voting on bills they opposed. More recently, Talarico — who has pitched himself as a Christian Democrat — came under fire after it was revealed that he followed a number of <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/11/15/us-news/james-talarico-caught-following-more-onlyfans-models-and-prostitutes/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">OnlyFans models</a> on Instagram.
Rep. Jasmine Crockett, whose radical outbursts are almost too numerous to mention, is also weighing entering the race — which has <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/crazy-radical-democrats-republicans-welcome-jasmine-crocketts-potential-senate-bid" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Republicans thrilled.</a>
<h3>Maine</h3>
Like John Cornyn, Susan Collins has caught plenty of flak from her fellow Republicans in recent years. But the moderate senator&#8217;s main concern as she runs for a fifth term comes from Democrats, not a primary challenger.
Maine Governor Janet Mills lost an early lead to populist upstart Graham Platner — though the oyster farmer blew an early lead with a series of scandals, including resurfaced <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/dem-senate-hopeful-called-himself-a-communist-made-racist-comments-in-reddit-posts?author=Cameron+Arcand&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Dem+Senate+Hopeful+Called+Himself+A+Communist%2C+Made+Racist+Comments+In+Reddit+Posts" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reddit posts</a> in which he slammed cops and called himself a “communist,” and the revelation that he had a<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/graham-platner-has-known-about-his-tattoos-nazi-connotations-since-2012?author=Cameron+Arcand&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Graham+Platner+Has+Known+About+His+Tattoo%E2%80%99s+Nazi+Connotations+Since+2012" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Nazi symbol</a> tattooed on his chest.
Platner has been<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/graham-platners-treasurer-switch-marks-yet-another-exit-from-campaign" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> bleeding staff</a> in the wake of these revelations, including his campaign manager, political director, and national finance manager.
Despite all this, Platner still seems to be the Democrat to beat — though a<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/maine-voters-embrace-susan-collins-the-more-they-learn-about-graham-platner-poll?author=Cameron+Arcand&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Maine+Voters+Embrace+Susan+Collins+The+More+They+Learn+About+Graham+Platner%3A+Poll" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> recent poll</a> found that voters favor Collins the more they learn about Platner.
<h3>Michigan</h3>
In Michigan, Rep. Haley Stevens, state Sen. Mallory McMorrow, and Abdul El-Sayed are seeing who can run furthest to the Left.
McMorrow recently held a fundraiser with a leftist blogger who <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/michigan-democrat-teams-up-with-leftist-blogger-who-mocked-charlie-kirk-after-assassination" target="_blank" rel="noopener">mocked</a> Charlie Kirk&#8217;s assassination. Stevens, who endorsed by former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), once <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-democratic-lawmaker-screams-at-constituents-over-nra-support" target="_blank" rel="noopener">screamed at her constituents</a> for supporting the Second Amendment. And El-Sayed, who&#8217;s backed by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), blamed Israel for &#8220;invading&#8221; Gaza in October 2023, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/dem-senate-candidate-accuses-israel-of-invading-gaza-in-oct-7-fundraising-email" target="_blank" rel="noopener">failing to mention</a> that the &#8220;invasion&#8221; in question was a military response to Hamas&#8217;s October 7 massacre of Israeli civilians.
Whichever Democrat emerges victorious from the fray will face off against <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/former-michigan-gop-congressman-launches-2nd-senate-bid-after-coming-up-short-in-2024" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mike Rogers</a>, a Trump-endorsed former congressman who lost his 2024 Senate race by a tiny margin.
<h3>Ohio</h3>
Rogers isn&#8217;t the only lawmaker staging a political comeback in 2026. In Ohio,<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ohio-dem-sherrod-brown-plots-senate-comeback?author=Daniel+Chaitin&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Ohio+Dem+Sherrod+Brown+Plots+Senate+Comeback" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Sherrod Brown</a> — a longtime leftist fixture in the Upper Chamber who fell last year to Republican Bernie Moreno — is running against Republican Sen. Jon Husted, who was tapped to fill Vice President JD Vance&#8217;s seat.
Brown was dogged with allegations of hypocrisy throughout his time in the Senate, something The Daily Wire<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ohio-dem-sherrod-brown-plots-senate-comeback" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> frequently covered</a>. The leftist was slammed for taking <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ohio-democrat-senator-took-thousands-of-dollars-in-donations-from-pharma-companies-at-center-of-opioid-crisis" target="_blank" rel="noopener">donations</a> from drug companies at the center of the opioid crisis and<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/east-palestine-is-still-suffering-but-ohios-democrat-senator-took-time-for-a-hollywood-fundraiser" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> attending</a> a ritzy Hollywood fundraiser while constituents worried about the water quality at their home after the 2023 train derailment in East Palestine.
<h3>California</h3>
Of all the House seats up for grabs in 2026 — and, remember, that&#8217;s all of them — the most closely-watched is California, where Democrats are fighting to fill former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi&#8217;s soon-to-be-vacated seat.
Pelosi <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/potential-pelosi-successor-pushed-a-bill-so-woke-even-the-new-york-times-has-doubts" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly</a> wants San Francisco Supervisor Connie Chan to succeed her. But the candidate to beat is California State Senator Scott Wiener, a man so radical that even the New York Times <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/potential-pelosi-successor-pushed-a-bill-so-woke-even-the-new-york-times-has-doubts" target="_blank" rel="noopener">has its doubts</a> about him.
From radical trans activism to legalizing prostitution and pedophilia, there&#8217;s almost nothing Wiener doesn&#8217;t want the state to permit — unless of course parents don&#8217;t want their minor children to undergo radical gender procedures, in which case he thinks the state should be able to take custody of those children.
Wiener&#8217;s record is almost too insane to believe, but The Daily Wire recently published the definitive account of this wannabe congressman. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/meet-scott-wiener-nancy-pelosis-likely-replacement-probably-thinks-youre-a-bigot" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Give it a read here.</a>
<h3>Georgia</h3>
Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff will be defending his seat against a Republican challenger yet to be determined. The current frontrunners are Reps. Mike Collins and Buddy Carter, and former University of Tennessee football coach Derek Dooley.
The race is expected to be extraordinarily expensive, as Ossoff already has $21 million in cash on hand, according to Federal Election Commission<a href="https://www.fec.gov/data/candidate/S8GA00180/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> data</a>. Although it&#8217;s unclear who the nominee on the Republican side will be, millions are already pouring in for the individual candidates at this stage,<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/inside-the-expensive-race-to-unseat-a-vulnerable-democratic-senator" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> The Daily Wire</a> reported in October.
Ossoff most recently made waves for his vote against reopening the government, a vote that Republicans will likely lord over him throughout the cycle.
<h3>But Wait, There&#8217;s More&#8230;</h3>
North Carolina’s Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper is set to square off against Republican Michael Whatley. Former Senators John Sununu and Scott Brown are <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ex-gop-senator-enters-highly-competitive-race-in-hopes-to-flip-new-hampshire-red" target="_blank" rel="noopener">duking it out</a> in a New Hampshire primary. Redistricting battles are sure to make house races <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/americas-redistricting-battle-keeps-getting-messier" target="_blank" rel="noopener">spicy</a> in Texas, Indiana, North Carolina, and more. And just for fun, the weirdest scion of the Kennedy family is running alongside about a dozen other Democrats to represent a district in the heart of Zohran Mamdani&#8217;s Manhattan.
It&#8217;s going to be a heck of a cycle. Stick with The Daily Wire, we&#8217;ll be covering it all!

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These Are The Most Important Races To Watch In The 2026 Midterms

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Jon Ossoff

Maine Republicans just got a huge boost in their efforts to claim competitive Senate and House seats as Democrats duke it out in a messy primary that has become a national flash point.
State Rep. Laurel Libby, a Republican, announced this week that she was launching a trio of groups — Lead Maine, Lead Maine Action, and the Lead Maine Committee — with the hopes of boosting turnout for her party in and further conservative policies.
“Maine needs a long-term, durable campaign infrastructure that grows our conservative grassroots movement and seats up Republicans up for success in 2026 and beyond,” Libby said in a statement.
Lead Maine will be a nonprofit and the action group is a state-level political action committee, while the committee will be a federal-level Super PAC, according to a press release.
Libby became a national figure over her critique of the state’s policies regarding transgender athletes, which at one point cost her the ability to even vote in the Maine House, The Daily Wire reported in June. She will not be running for re-election after three terms in the legislature, her press release noted.
“Lead Maine and its affiliated organizations are committed to building exactly that by educating and mobilizing citizens to drive meaningful societal and electoral change at both the state and national levels.”
Libby&#8217;s groups could help Republicans gain an advantage in a closely-watched cycle dominated by coverage of populist oyster farmer Graham Platner, who has faced numerous scandals for deleted Reddit posts and a Nazi tattoo. Platner is facing Governor Janet Mills in a primary that has voters split on questions of age and ideology, dividing the Democratic Party as a whole. Platner, a populist, is more than three decades younger than the more establishment Mills, who is 77.
Whoever wins will take on Republican Sen. Susan Collins in a race the Cook Political Report calls a “toss-up,&#8221; one of the most competitive races of the coming midterm cycle. Democratic primary polls have yielded mixed results despite Platner’s scandals, and he shows no signs of dropping out despite high staff turnover.
“We can defeat Susan Collins and send a message to everyone that a new dawn has come for American politics. One that is strong, one that is principled, one that is hopeful, and most importantly, one that fights and wins,” Platner recently posted to X.
The Lead Maine Committee, a partnership with the Sentinel Action Fund, will put $4 million into Collins’ race. Grassroots movements and organizations are becoming more commonplace on the right, including with Scott Presler’s voter registration efforts in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, in addition to groups like Turning Point Action.
“This partnership and investment come ahead of a pivotal midterm election cycle. Maine’s Senate seat will play a critical role in securing and expanding the Republican Senate majority and protecting it is an essential step toward achieving a 60-seat majority,” Sentinel Action Fund President Jessica Anderson said in a statement.
In Maine’s Second Congressional District, Democrat Rep. Jared Golden announced that he is retiring, leaving the seat up for grabs despite now being labeled as “likely Republican” by the Cook Political Report due to President Donald Trump’s victory in the district last year.
Democrat Jordan Wood exited the Senate race in order to run for the seat instead, and former Republican Gov. Paul LePage is running for the Republican nomination. Besides Collins, there are no other Republicans in the New England Congressional delegation.

How Maine’s Messy Democratic Primary Has Republicans Circling The Wagons

“Socialism is not a dirty word anymore!” former Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) yelled the night of November 4.
Bowman joined noted leftists Mehdi Hasan and Hasan Piker in an election night stream from Zohran Mamdani’s victory party. Mamdani, a 34-year-old socialist, had just won election as mayor of the most populous city in the United States.
The Democratic Party’s left flank is increasingly boxing out more moderate members to follow the lead of progressives, as seen in the government shutdown or in helping progressives and self-described socialists secure influential positions, one GOP political strategist told The Daily Wire.
“Progressives are fired up and the establishment Dems are trying to do as much as they can to capture it. I mean, a cynical person might say that the government shut down so Abigail Spanberger could win Virginia, right?” the strategist said. “I think that the only reason why the establishment Dems … picked such a difficult battle for them to win policy-wise in the shutdown is to make sure that their progressive comrades are not able to criticize them as much, and that means that the progressives are the tail that is wagging the dog right now.”
The progressive dominance is starkly evident in Maine. Democratic Rep. Jared Golden is known for regularly breaking with his party, sometimes on key votes. He was the only Democrat to vote with House Republicans to pass a short-term continuing resolution to head off the government shutdown that stretched a record 40 days.
Golden announced on November 5, the day after Mamdani’s victory, that he would forgo a run at re-election in 2026.
“I’m confident that were I to run again, I would win,” said Golden in a <a href="https://x.com/golden4congress/status/1986163261696278844">statement</a>. “Now, I look forward to my next chapter: raising my young daughters with Izzy and spending more time with our family and friends.”
The now-outgoing congressman abandoned his re-election campaign as he was facing significant pressure from his left from Democrat Matt Dunlap, Maine’s former secretary of state. When Dunlap announced his primary challenge to Golden last month, Dunlap’s first move was to <a href="https://www.mainepublic.org/politics/2025-10-06/former-maine-secretary-of-state-matt-dunlap-launches-primary-challenge-against-jared-golden">characterize</a> Golden as too soft on President Donald Trump.
Dunlap appears to have resonated with voters in Maine’s second district. In a University of New Hampshire <a href="https://scholars.unh.edu/survey_center_polls/897/">poll</a> released last month, Dunlap was leading the incumbent, Golden.
That same poll also showed another progressive Democrat in Maine, Graham Platner, leading the field for the chance to challenge Republican Sen. Susan Collins. Maine Governor Janet Mills, known in the state as a more moderate Democrat despite her combative streak with Trump, <a href="https://www.realclearpolling.com/latest-polls/senate">trails</a> far behind Platner.
Platner is an Iraq War veteran, an oyster farmer, and the harbormaster of the small town of Sullivan. He has a history of <a href="https://mainemorningstar.com/2025/11/07/washington-need-not-apply-how-mainers-are-evaluating-controversy-laden-graham-platner/">working</a> with the climate alarmist Acadia Center, and he has secured endorsements from high-profile progressives, including Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY).
Last month, he was revealed to have a tattoo of a Nazi symbol, a skull-and-crossbones known as a Totenkopf, on his chest. He <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMnc4ddc7j4">clarified</a> he is “not a secret Nazi” and claimed that he had not known where the symbol originated until the scandal blew up. Some doubt about Platner’s story is warranted, though, since a <a href="https://jewishinsider.com/2025/10/graham-platner-ss-tattoo-maine-senate/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> that the candidate had been referring to his tattoo as a Totenkopf as early as 2012.
Platner’s online history has come up in the campaign, as well. In 2020 and 2021, Platner was in internet posts claiming to be a “communist” while using racist language and gay slurs. While he has called the posts “indefensible,” he has also dismissed them as unserious and jokes.
Platner’s campaign has <a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/maines-graham-platner-thinks-voters-will-overlook-his-past-to-support-a-new-type-of-candidate">imploded</a> in recent weeks with multiple high-level departures, including his treasurer and finance director. Platner’s former campaign manager left after four days, excusing the early departure by saying his wife is pregnant. Separately, Platner’s campaign has required staff members to sign nondisclosure agreements, which the candidate has said is necessary in a high-stakes election.
Despite the upheaval, Platner’s political allies, including Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez, have stood by the embattled Platner, showing just how durable support can be among the progressives’ favored candidates.
“One reason for that is it&#8217;s very clear that the base is furious, riled up, ready to support candidates that they wouldn&#8217;t have in the past,” whether for personal or policy reasons, said the GOP strategist, who has worked in Maine politics for more than a decade.
Progressives were reassured recently that voters may not punish them for standing by Platner. In Virginia, Democrats’ pick for state attorney general, Jay Jones, won the election to the office despite past text messages he sent <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/read-them-virginia-dem-sent-shocking-texts-about-killing-gop-leader-pissing-on-graves">supporting</a> violence against his political opponents and their families.
Jones’ victory in Virginia is “a sad reflection of a discomfiting willingness among voters to prioritize partisanship over human decency,” as The Washington Post editorial board <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2025/11/03/virginia-election-governor-spanberger-sears-jay-jones/">wrote</a> ahead of the November 4 election.

Graham Platner

‘The Tail Wagging The Dog’: Progressives Dominate Democratic Politics In Maine And Beyond

Zohran Mamdani

Embattled Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner will lose the state’s Democratic primary to Governor Janet Mills, a new poll found.
EMILY’s List, which is supporting Mills in the primary, <a href="https://www.politico.com/f/?id=0000019a-7501-dfdd-af9b-75912aca0000" target="_blank" rel="noopener">commissioned a poll</a> from Impact Research that found Mills would lose to incumbent Senator Susan Collins (R) with just 42% of the vote. But that’s only when respondents were given “balanced information” about the candidates.
When “additional information” was given about the Platner — such as quotes from deleted social media posts where he called himself a communist, and his Nazi symbol tattoo — Collins’ lead climbs to 57%.
“The statements include quotes from Platner’s posts, including his history of stoking political violence, use of homophobic slurs, and offensive views towards law enforcement and sexual assault victims,” the memo stated.
The poll was taken among 700 likely voters from October 22 to 27, with a 3.7% margin of error.
The Cook Political Report currently ranks the race as a “toss-up.” The Republican won re-election in 2020 with 50.98%, compared to 42.39% for the Democrat, Sara Gideon.
Platner has remained in the race despite the wave of negative headlines and most recently spoke out against the Democrats who backed the deal to reopen the federal government, even calling on Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer to “step down.”
“We get nothing. No healthcare. No subsidies,” Platner posted to X on Tuesday. “This is not a ‘deal.’ It&#8217;s a surrender.”
The vote to reopen the government by Collins and other Senate Republicans, in addition to some Democrats, was the hot topic on the campaign trail in recent days.
“This short-term continuing resolution would reopen government immediately, provide back pay to all federal workers, and fund important federal programs on which many Americans rely,” Collins, who is the chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, wrote on X.
Meanwhile, Mills said Collins “voted against extending ACA subsidies,” as an amendment to continue the Obamacare subsidies for another year was shot down by Senate Republicans.
“This vote is a betrayal of Maine people, and it will send health care costs through the roof. While I have fought to expand health care and to make it more affordable, Senator Collins and Republicans in Washington are doing the opposite,” the governor posted.
The Daily Wire reached out to the Platner, Collins, and Mills campaigns, which were not immediately available for comment. Democrat Jordan Wood dropped out of the Maine Democratic primary on Wednesday, instead opting to run for Maine’s Second Congressional District, which is now open due to Rep. Jared Golden’s (D-ME) retirement announcement. The seat is considered competitive, but is labeled by the Cook Political Report as “Likely Republican.”
“If Chuck Schumer’s mountain of opposition research against Graham Platner wasn’t enough to scare him out of this race, it’s doubtful a poll from a group that has endorsed Janet Mills will do much,” National Republican Senatorial Committee Regional Press Secretary Samantha Cantrell told The Daily Wire in a statement.

Maine Voters Embrace Susan Collins The More They Learn About Graham Platner: Poll

Polls

<div>Embattled Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner’s treasurer has resigned just days after his national finance director called it quits, according to the Judge Street Journal.</div>
<div></div>
<div>The <a href="https://judgestreetjournal.substack.com/p/exclusive-graham-platners-treasurer?utm_campaign=post&amp;utm_medium=web&amp;triedRedirect=true" target="_blank" rel="noopener">outlet</a> reported that Victoria Perrone left her role as treasurer on Tuesday, and Ben Martello is the individual currently listed in the position on Federal Election Commission records.</div>
<div></div>
<div>Platner’s campaign has faced numerous controversies resulting from deleted Reddit posts and a Nazi-era tattoo, and in the days since those controversies spread across social media, both a campaign manager and a political director have also abruptly exited the campaign.</div>
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<div>His former national finance director, Ronald Holmes III, posted to LinkedIn on Friday that he was resigning.</div>
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<div>“Somewhere along the way, I began to feel that my professional standards as a campaign professional no longer fully aligned with those of the campaign,” Holmes posted.</div>
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<div>“I wish the campaign and the voters in Maine well as they continue forward with selecting a nominee who they believe is best suited to meet the moment and flip this critical must win seat for us to take back the U.S. Senate in 2026,” he continued.</div>
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<div><a href="https://x.com/hollyotterbein/status/1984284658612494537">Axios</a> reported the Platner campaign said that Holmes quit because his role had more to do with getting large donors on board to the campaign, but “the reality is our campaign’s fundraising success has come largely from small dollar donors. Nearly 90% of what we’ve raised has come from small dollar donations and online donors, which is run by our digital fundraising director.”</div>
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<div>Join us now during our exclusive Deal of the Decade. Get everything for $7 a month. Not as fans. As fighters. Go to <a href="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">DailyWire.com/Subscribe</a> to join now.</div>
<div></div>
<div><a href="https://weartv.com/news/nation-world/platner-campaign-manager-steps-down-after-joining-campaign-last-week-social-media-maine-democrats-senate-race-republicans-susan-collins-janet-mills" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WGME News</a> reported that Kevin Brown took a job as the Democrat’s campaign manager, and claimed that his exit had to do with finding out that his wife is pregnant — but he left the job just days after beginning the new gig.</div>
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<div>Platner&#8217;s former political director Genevieve McDonald spoke out about quitting after his now-covered Totenkopf tattoo went viral.</div>
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<div>“Graham has an antisemitic tattoo on his chest,” McDonald posted to Facebook. “He’s not an idiot, he’s a military history buff. Maybe he didn’t know it when he got it, but he got it years ago and he should have had it covered up because he knows damn well what it means.”</div>
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<div>The Democrat is in a primary race against Gov. Janet Mills, and whoever wins the primary will face off against Republican Sen. Susan Collins in 2026.</div>
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<div>“Our movement is powered by the people of Maine,” Platner posted to X on Saturday. “The people of Maine will not be propagandized. And they will not be bought.”</div>
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<div>Platner’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.</div>
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Graham Platner’s Treasurer Switch Marks Yet Another Exit From Campaign

Graham Platner’s campaign manager quit just days after starting the job, the latest in a seemingly unending series of upsets for the Maine Democrat&#8217;s struggling campaign.
Axios <a href="https://www.axios.com/2025/10/27/graham-platner-campaign-manager">reported</a> Monday that Kevin Brown, a friend of Platner&#8217;s, resigned his post shortly after taking it up. Brown follows Platner&#8217;s political director, Genevieve McDonald, who resigned earlier this month after Platner came under fire for a series of Reddit posts in which he called himself a communist. McDonald made waves following her departure for publicly commenting about Platner’s tattoo with Nazi-era connotations, which he has since gotten covered up.
“Graham has an antisemitic tattoo on his chest,&#8221; McDonald wrote on Facebook. &#8220;He’s not an idiot, he’s a military history buff. Maybe he didn’t know it when he got it, but he got it years ago and he should have had it covered up because he knows damn well what it means.&#8221;
“Years ago I got a skull and crossbones tattoo with my buddies in the Marine Corps,&#8221; Platner wrote on X last week. &#8220;I was appalled to learn it closely resembled a Nazi symbol. I altered it yesterday, into something that isn&#8217;t deeply offensive to my core beliefs.&#8221;
“I am very sorry to all of you who had to contemplate a symbol of hate over the past 48 hours,” he added.
Platner told “Pod Save America” that he’s “not a secret Nazi” when discussing the Totenkopf tattoo. 
“Actually, if you read through my Reddit comments I think you can pretty much figure out where I stand on Nazism and antisemitism and racism in general. I would say, lifelong opponent.”
Join us now during our exclusive Deal of the Decade. Get everything for $7 a month. Not as fans. As fighters. Go to <a href="http://dailywire.com/Subscribe">DailyWire.com/Subscribe</a> to join now. 
“At no point in this entire experience of my life not once did anybody say ‘Hey, you’re a Nazi.’ It never came up, until we got wind that in the opposition research somebody was shopping the idea that I was secret Nazi with a hidden Nazi tattoo. And I can honestly say that if I was trying to hide it, I have not been doing a very good job for the past 18 years,” Platner said. 
“We got those and then we all moved on with our lives,” he added. 
However, a report in<a href="https://jewishinsider.com/2025/10/graham-platner-ss-tattoo-maine-senate/"> Jewish Insider</a> indicated he knew about the meaning of the symbol as of at least 2012. 
Platner is facing Maine Governor Janet Mills in the state&#8217;s Democratic primary, the winner of which will likely take on Republican Senator Susan Collins in a highly competitive general election race.
A recent poll of likely voters from SoCal Strategies indicated that Mills is leading with 41% compared with 36% for Platner,<a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/5573485-maine-senate-poll-mills-platner/"> The Hill</a> reported on Saturday. Another poll from the<a href="https://scholars.unh.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1896&amp;context=survey_center_polls"> University of New Hampshire</a>, taken from Oct. 16-21, showed that 58% of “those who plan to vote” are backing Platner, compared with 24% for the governor.

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