Platner Unleashed a Movement. Where Will It Go Next?

LEWISTON, Maine — They had been waiting for someone like Graham Platner. Someone who was angry and a little crass and knew exactly what had to happen: universal healthcare, an end to the “endless wars,” an end to the “oligarchy.” Someone who would crush Republican senator Susan Collins, who, to Platner’s supporters, was a stand-in for the establishment, the billionaires, Donald Trump—whoever or whatever you hated. Sure, it was an act—he was a prep-school dropout playing hardscrabble oysterman—but they all did that! They knew who was supposed to win. And this was a movie that was fun to watch. The stories about him—the ex-girlfriends, the Nazi tattoo—they helped. They made it easier to suspend their disbelief.

On June 9, more than 150,000 Mainers voted for Platner in the Democratic Senate primary—more than any Democrat had ever won in a Senate primary in the state.

Then came the final allegation—the only credible rape charge, to date—and on July 10, he was out.

But to Platner’s voters—to the disaffected, the livid—the fight had to go on. There were dragons to slay.