Poll Shows Platner Leading Mills in Maine Senate Primary

A new poll shows Graham Platner holding a commanding lead over Governor Janet Mills in Maine's Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate race, signaling a potential shift in the contest to challenge incumbent Republican Senator Susan Collins.

The Emerson College Polling survey, conducted March 21 to 23 among 530 likely Democratic primary voters, found 55 percent supporting Platner compared to 28 percent for Mills, with 13 percent undecided. The 27-point margin exceeds the poll's 4.2 percent margin of error, according to Spencer Kimball, executive director of the polling firm. Platner, a 41-year-old combat veteran and oyster farmer from Sullivan, leads among both men and women, with 63 percent to 22 percent support from male voters and 50 percent to 32 percent from female voters.

The race, set for the June 9 primary, pits Platner, who has positioned himself as an anti-establishment outsider, against Mills, a two-term governor seeking to leverage her statewide experience. Both candidates trail Collins in some past polls but show edges in hypothetical general election matchups from the same survey. Among 1,075 likely Maine voters, Platner leads Collins 48 percent to 41 percent, with...