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Bernie Sanders breaks with Democrats - supports "The Oysterman" against Susan Collins in Maine [1]

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Date: 2025-08-31

Bernie Sanders has broken with the Democratic establishment in the push to unseat Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) in 2026. The Democrats are hoping that the state's current Governor, Janet Mills, will enter the race to unseat the 'Down East' Hamlet. Sanders, on the other hand, has thrown his considerable progressive cachet behind Graham Platner. Who? Let's have a look.

Platner is an ex-Marine who goes by the sobriquet "The Oysterman." He is a political neophyte. And by the standards of the profession is a youthful 40 years old. He has vigor. He does not talk in the poll-tested, focus group-approved language of the professional politician. He knows his voters, and he speaks to them.

Mills, on the other hand, is 77. She first won elected office in 1980. She is reliably liberal on abortion and gun regulation. However, she has identified herself as a moderate Democrat. And in a political landscape littered with gray hairs — and I say this despite being closer in age to her than Platner — the people are looking for a new wave.

For all I know, Mills has the vigor of a much younger woman. But I'm with the 83-year-old Bernie. It's time for the "full speed ahead damn the torpedoes" energy that Platner brings.

The Oysterman, who declared his candidacy on August 21, has hit the ground running. He has already raised over $1 million. And judging by his introductory "This is me and why I am running" campaign commercial, I expect he will raise a lot more. (Campaign video below.)

Platner makes no bones about having the working classes' backs. In his first campaign ad, he declares himself for the "hardscrabble" people and is implacably opposed to "The Oligarchs" — his choice of words attests to his place on the political spectrum.

He proclaims Maine has become "unlivable for working-class people." And after stating his mission is to unseat Susan Collins, he bullet points his biography:

"A decade of military service going overseas."

"Farming oysters to feed my community."

" Diving to lend a hand to other fishermen."

" Trying to start a family."

Then he gets to the meat of the matter.

"But everywhere I've gone, it seems like the fabric of what holds us together is being ripped apart by billionaires and corrupt politicians, profiting off of destroying our environment, driving our families into poverty, and crushing the middle class."

After reiterating his military service, he states he is "not afraid to name an enemy." Adding:

"And the enemy is the oligarchy. It's the billionaires who pay for it, the politicians who sell us out. And yeah, that means politicians like Susan Collins. I'm not fooled by this fake charade of Collins deliberations and moderation."

He then addresses what I think will be a key tactic in his campaign — painting Collins as a pearl-clutching, callous hypocrite.

"The difference between Susan Collins and Ted Cruz is at least Ted Cruz is honest about selling us out and not giving a damn."

He asks why it is that people can't afford housing? Adding:

"Why can't we have universal healthcare like every other first-world country?"

" Why can't we take care of our veterans when they come home?"

" Why are we funding endless wars and bombing children?

"Why are CEOs more powerful than unions?"

" We fought three different wars since the last time we raised the minimum wage."

Then, after he reiterates that he will fight for working people, he closes with his commitment to his community:

"You're supposed to fight for the things you love. This is our home and I will fight tirelessly for it for you. It's Mainers first and Maine always."

The urban liberal will notice that he doesn't talk about abortion, civil rights, or LGBTQ issues. He also says nothing about guns, immigration, or social support programs. So be it. Platner wants to triumph in a war that will be fought on Maine's battlefields. If you want to win, you have to speak to your voters, not spout some national party philosophy that doesn't resonate with the home team.

Legendary House Speaker Tip O'Neill made the point clearly when he said, "All politics is local." The midterms cannot be a purity test. Democrats, if they want to be in the room where the crucial decisions are made, will have to accept that what works in Portland, Oregon, may not work in Portland, Maine.

I am aware that electing political outsiders with working-class cred comes with risks. John Fetterman is the poster child for disappointment. However, while Platner has not yet addressed most of the issues that Democrats typically run on, I believe he would be a reliable vote on topics such as reproductive choice, civil rights, voting rights, immigrant rights, and LGBTQ issues, as much as he would be on economic and healthcare rights.

The DNC would do well to remember one thing. No matter which demographic boxes the individual checks, all Americans want a safe job that pays well enough to provide for a roof, food, a spot of entertainment, and a comfortable retirement — while they also want to live in a country where an illness does not bankrupt the citizen.

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/8/31/2341198/-Bernie-Sanders-breaks-with-Democrats-supports-The-Oysterman-against-Susan-Collins-in-Maine?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=trending&pm_medium=web

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